Soul Of The Force
by venom rules all
Summary: Galen Marek thought he would die during his last battle with The Emperor. But a change in his destiny led him to being sent to a world far, far away. Now he is a warrior of light. But what will his life be now? Especially when he meets a certain Greek Family.
1. Chapter 1

**Warrior Soul Reborn.**

 **Starkiller, apprentice, assassin, jedi**. This young force wielder has been called many things in his young life. But his real name is **Galen Marek**. To say Galen's life has been hard would be a drastic understatement. His life has been real hell, with only a few parts to help lift his spirit. But to understand that, we need to go back to the very beginning of his life.

Born on the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk as the sole offspring of two Jedi Knights, Mallie and Kento Marek, who deserted the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars. At some point after building their home on Kashyyyk, Mallie gave birth to a son, Galen. Not long afterward, Mallie fought a group of Trandoshan slavers in defense of the Wookiees and to protect her family. Sadly she died in the battle and never lived to see her son grow.

Her subsequent death forced Kento to raise their only son on his own. They did have a rather good life... but it all changed when the Sith Lord, Darth Vader, arrived on the planet along with a massive invasion fleet. After carving his way through the wookie army, Vader found his target: Kento Marek.

Kento bravely fought against Vader, but was ultimately no match for the powerful sith lord and was killed right in front of a young Galen.

But in a twist of fate, Vader abducted the younger Marek shortly after he killed the boy's father and a squad of stormtroopers in order to keep Galen's existence a secret. Despite his outward loyalty to Palpatine, Vader harbored much hatred toward his Sith Master and intended to overthrow him with Marek as his secret apprentice. As such, he endeavored to teach the ways of the dark side of the Force to his new disciple, whom he first controlled through fear before training Marek to harness his anger and other base emotions.

Galen would train under Vader for several years. When he was finally ready, Vader sent him out to hunt down and kill any jedi who had survived order 66.

Before his first mission. Galen would meet his new pilot. A young woman named Juno Eclipse, who he later would develope romantic feelings for. But that is a story for another time.

Galen was successful with killing some notable jedis. But his life would take a drastic turn when Darth Sidious discovered his existence and ordered Vader to kill him.

While Galen was unconscious, his body was collected from the vacuum by Vader's droids and brought to the Dark Lord's science vessel, the Empirical. While Starkiller's body was rebuilt, he remained unconscious, believing himself dead as he experienced a multitude of visions and memories. When he finally awoke, he was relieved for the end of the visions, but he screamed when he realized the nature of his circumstances; he was restrained on a laboratory table, with Darth Vader standing above him. Galen accused Vader of trying to kill him, but Vader told him that his "execution" was Palpatine's demand, which forced the Sith Lord's hand.

Darth Vader elaborated that with Palpatine's spies watching his every move, he needed a distraction to divert attention away from him. While the laboratory droids provided him with a new lightsaber, Galen suggested an assassination, though Vader dismissed it, as no single act of that kind would gain Palpatine's notice. Instead, Vader made clear that Galen would have to raise an army to oppose the Emperor; an alliance of rebels and dissidents. Vader gave Galen free rein in how to pursue his objective, leaving only the order that he was to sever all ties to his past.

While Galen was successful in gathering the emperor's enemies, including General Kota, a jedi master he was ment to kill, they were just about to create the rebellion, the mountaintop temple ruin they were using as their meeting place was attacked by the Imperial Military. Darth Vader marched into the chamber, ordering his troopers to take the Rebels alive for personal execution by the Emperor. Kota drew his lightsaber and rushed Vader, but the Sith Lord simply caught him in a telekinetic stranglehold and tossed him aside. With Kota disabled and the Rebels surrounded by snowtroopers, Vader advanced on Starkiller, complimenting his pupil's performance and revealing his status as the Dark Lord's secret apprentice to the shocked Rebels. Vader then cast the stone table at the center of the chamber at Galen, driving him outside into the snow. Galen managed to survive, thankful that his reconstruction on the Empirical had drastically increased his physical endurance. Attempting to regain his feet, Starkiller angrily questioned Vader for interfering as the Sith Lord had agreed to stay away. Vader revealed that he had lied, and not just about Starkiller's "mission," but from the very beginning.

Galen quickly deduced that the "very beginning" referred to the start of his apprenticeship, and thus he realized that his entire life had been a sham, and that Vader never intended to destroy the Emperor. Darth Vader confirmed this, though he added that he didn't intend to dethrone the Emperor with Galen specifically. Falling down a cliff, Galen was left to die on the snow planet, but was saved by Juno.

Infuriated by these repeating betrayals, Galen rejected the Sith all together, reclaiming his birth name and reformed himself as a jedi. With Juno's help, Galen located the Death Star, where he would find Vader and the Reble leaders.

After a loving kiss with Juno, Galen fought his way through the Death Star, where he finally faced and defeated Vader. But once again Galen was in for another shock as he found out that Sidious had ordered Galen's abduction, for the soul reason of replacing Vader as Sidious' sith apprentice.

Enraged by finding out that Sidious was the one responsible for all the suffering he had gone through, Galen attacked the emperor and at some point managed to get the upper hand. But before he could kill the evil tyrant, Kota reminded him about the jedi way and Galen spared Sidious life.

This proved to be a mistake as Sidious was not even close to being defeated. The Emperor got to his feet and fired a blast of lightning into the Jedi Master's back. Without hesitation, Galen immediately stepped into the stream, taking the full brunt of it himself. Overcoming the pain just enough to absorb and gather the energy, Galen advanced on Sidious as the two remained locked in the chain of lightning. With no other option left, Galen grabbed the Emperor's shoulders and redirected the lightning into the Dark Lord, causing Sidious to share in the agonizing pain of his own power. Driven by concern for his friends, Galen embraced the Force completely and released all of the pent up energy, resulting in a massive shock wave... and that was the last Galen ever saw before everything went black.

This should have been the end of Galen Marek. But destiny had other ideas.

* * *

Right now, Galen felt like he was floating, floating in the force. He wondered if this is how it felt to become one with the force. But then he heard a voice.

"Galen... my son... your death has not arrived just yet" Galen looked around until he saw a familiar man walk up to him "You still have your own destiny to fulfill".

"Father!?" Galen said in shock.

Kento smiled at him "It's good to see you again, my son".

"Where are we?" Galen asked as he looked around.

"This is the realm between worlds. I brought you here just before your death so you could have a new chance at life" Kento explained.

"I don't understand" Galen admited.

"When I became one with the force, I discovered our galaxy was not the only one in need of light" Kento said before motioning for Galen to look down.

When Galen did he saw a planet he had never seen before "What is this?".

"This planet is not like any of those we have. It is the only planet in this galaxy that has life on it. In fact it is very primitive in the our eyes, due to the lack of technology. Despite that, the people has been able to thrive and create many different cultures. Truly amazing".

"But what does this have to do with me?" Galen asked.

"I sense a great darkness on this planet. It's not like the dark side of the force. This feels... different, like a creature created by pure hate and malice... even Vader's darkness don't feel so burning painful. This creature is unlike anything I have ever felt" Kento explained.

"What is this, creature?" Galen asked.

"That... I don't know. I can't interact with the planet directly. Nor can I send my ghost to it, like I can in our galaxy" Kento said.

"Father... what do you want me to do?" Galen asked.

Kento moved his hand and then Galen felt himself falling towards the planet. When he regained his composure, he looked around and saw that they were in some kind of cave. Then he saw a forge in the middle of the place.

"You have two choices my son. This place has a very strong magic, it will allow you to be fully reborn and you will live again, you can forge your own weapon and head out in to this new world and your new life. Or you can choose to die, and be one with the force" Kento said.

"Why are you telling me all this? Why do you want me to make this choice?!" Galen asked in desperation.

"My son... you have done more than enough for your old galaxy. Your sacrifice inspired the rebles. You helped create what just might free the galaxy from the empire's tyranny. But this planet has it's own evil, and not just that monster I mentioned. The people of this planet needs something they can belive in, someone to protect them from the evil. Someone that gives them hope in their dark times. And I know, that person can be you, my son" Kento said as he places a hand on Galen's shoulder "You walked a dark path, but you managed to save yourself and come back to the light. I am so proud of you my son, and your mother is too".

"Father..." Galen said as he felt tears in his eyes.

"I will not force you to do anything, Galen. This is your choice, and yours alone" Kento finished.

Galen closed his eyes and thought for several minutes. Then his eyes opened, full of determination. Then he walked towards the forge and picked up the magic hammer.

Kento smiled warmly at him _'That's my boy'_.

Energy flew around the place as Galen brought the hammer down, over and over and over again. Each time hr brought the magic hammer down, he felt that it was becoming harder and harder to hold his weapon in place with all the the power that flew in to the weapon. But Galen held strong and continued to forge it.

After 3 hours of non stop work, the weapon was finally finished. The sword looked like a katana, only a little wider, a mild blue colored while the sharp end was white, and it had a more devine look to it.

"Well done my son. This blade will serve you well" Kento said.

Galen swung his blade around, testing it with a few of his fighting styles "It feels so light...".

"It is a devine blade. And from now on it's bonded to you. Only you will be able to use it at it's full potential" Kento explained.

Galen put the blade in a sheath before looking at his father "How do I get out of here?".

Kento points at a portal "The moment you step through it, your new life begins. You will face many enemies on your travels. But I feel that you will gain new allies aswell".

Galen bows to him "Thank you father... for everything".

Kento walked up and hugged him, knowing he would never be able to hold his son like this again. Galen hugged back and they remained that way fo several moments.

"I could not be more proud of you Galen" Kento said as he stepped back.

Galen "I will never forget you father... I will remember everything you have tought me".

"Walk well, my son" Kento said and with that Galen walked through the portal "And may the force be with you".

* * *

When Galen stepped out of the portal, he looked around to see was indeed in a new world. And he could already feel that it was a lot different from anything in his old galaxy. The portal closed behind him, signaling the end of his old life.

Galen took a deep breath "Watch over me, mother, father".

And with that, Galen began walking down the path, to begin his new life. His life as a warrior of justice and light.

 **.**

 **Well there you have it. A while back I made a voting poll, where I allowed you readers to vote on what Soul Calibur crossover you would like to see.**

 **The choices was between Star Wars: The Force Unleashed or Warcraft. And boy was it close!**

 **At first, Warcraft took the early advantage and it looked like it would be a one sided voting. But then Star Wars managed to catch up and, I kid you not!**

 **Star Wars won by only ONE vote! Just ONE!**

 **So here you have it, Galen's life will change alot from now on and alot of things will happen along the way.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Two things I forgot to mention in the first chapter.**

 **1: Galen still has the same outfit he had during his last fight with Vader and The Emperor.**

 **2: This story takes place before Soul Calibur 4 and 5**

* * *

 **Exploring the new world.**

Galen was walking down a road he had been on for over an hour now. He had to admit, the landscape was rather beautiful. Almost reminded him of Naboo. A planet he always wanted to visit but never got the chance to. Still he could not keep walking around like this, he needed to find a city, or at least a village and hopefully get some supplies.

He stopped when he heard something. He looked and saw a man in a carriage, that was being pulled by two animals that Galen had never seen before. Galen stopped and tried to wave at the carriage, hoping it would stop. Thakfully it did.

"Can I help you stranger?" The man asked.

"Yes, I am a traveler and I am new to these parts. Could you tell me where the nearest settlement is?" Galen asked.

"Ah..." The man said in understanding "Well you are in luck sir, I was just one my way over to one. Just jump on and I'll give you a ride".

Galen nods and climbed into the carriage "Thanks, I appreciate it".

The man just smiled as he montioned the animals to keep going "Just following my father's example. Always try to do good in your life and you can die with a smile".

"He sounds like a good man" Galen said.

"He was. In a world full with so much darkness, every small amount of light could help alot" The man said.

 _'Darkness... just what is this darkness?'_ Galen wonders to himself. They finally reached a village, the man stopped the carriage, allowing Galen to jump of "Thanks for the lift. You saved me alot of time".

The man just nods "Happy to help. Take care young man".

With that, the man continued on. Galen looked around the village. This planet really was a lot more primitive compared to what he's used to. Not that he was complaining, infact this felt a little refreshing, it reminded him a little about Kashyyyk, the Wookies, while they had technology, it was not really on the same level as most of the galaxy. They lived a more simple life.

Galen walked around the village until her remembered he needed some money if he was going to survive in this place. But where and how would he get it?

As if fate itself answered hs question, he heard a voice "Who thinks they can beat the legend?"Galen looked and saw short man standing next to a giant, he held up a sack full of coins "That's right. This will be yours if you just defeat the undefeated legend!".

Galen shrugs, he needed the money and this could be a good chance to get some work out. He pushed his way passed the crowd "I accept the challenge".

The short man laughed "You are thin as a whip. Come back when you got some meat on your bones".

"Why? Scared to lose your muney to whip?" Galen asked "Or is your champion not as tough as he look?".

"What was that!?" The giant asked in anger.

"You are asking for death boy" The shorter man said.

"How about a deal then? If I win, you double the coins. If I lose, you get my word" Galen offered, showing his sword.

The man's eyes turned in to money signs "I could make a fortuen selling that! Fine, you got a deal".

Galen put his sword in the ground before stepping in to the ring. The large man cracked his knuckles "I'm gonna break you like a twig, little runt".

"You are welcome to try" Galen said. He knew arrogance was not the way of the jedi, but he was not your normal jedi. And her was not arrogant, he simply knew he could win.

The large man let out a battle cry as he ran at Galen and threw a punch. Galen simply ducked to the sid and gave him a back fist in the face. The man staggered back a few steps, he growled and threw another punch. Only for Galen to duck, punch him in the gut, knocking the air out of him, then delivered a elbow to his face, before ending the fight with jumping round house kick.

The large man flew out of the arena and everyone who saw the match were in shock. Galen pulled his sword out from the ground before walking to the host "I belive we had a deal".

The man growled "Forget it. You just cost me a fortune. I am not paying you a single coin".

"Oh yes you are" Came a voice before a katana appeared at the man's neck "The kid won fairly. Pay him, unless you want everyone to know you don't keep your end of a bargain".

The man gulped and quickly paid Galen what he promised. As soon as the Katana left his neck, he ran for his life. Galen put the money away and was about to thank the man who helped him... only to find that he was gone.

 _'Who was that?_ ' Galen wondered. But he had no time to think about that, so he continued to explore the village.

After a while, it was getting dark. He noticed a tavern and figured he could relax for a bit in there. He walked inside and saw a bunch of people already drunk out of their mind.

 _'Kota would be right at home in this place'_ Galen thought half amused as he walked up to the bartender.

"What can I give you?" The bartender asked.

"Something mild please. Still got a long road ahead of me" Galen said.

The bartender nodded and began filling up a mug "I hear you, never a quick walk anywhear these days".

Galen got his drink "Yeah... never easy" He takes a sip of his drink. He didn't even know where he was supposed to be going.

After finishing his drink, Galen paid for it and headed out. Unkown to him, their was some people that was wating for him to do just that. Outside, Galen took a short cut through a area that was not so crowded. But when he did, several men showed up and surrounded him.

"Can I help you?" Galen asked, though he already had a feeling of what they wanted.

"You made me look bad infront of the whole village. I'm going to make you pay for that. With blood" Galen looked and saw it was the same man from before who hosted that match.

"It's your own fault for trying to scam people" Galen said camly.

"Business is business. But having a punk make a fool out of me is really bad for buisness. So I am afraid I need to get rid of you" The man said.

"Trust me. You don't want to fight me" Galen warned.

But the thugs just laughed while the man smirked "Get him boys".

The goons charge at Galen. As the first one reaches him, Galen punches him away and dodges between several others, punching and kicking them away. He reached for his sword, but felt no desire to kill these men, so he simply used the sheath to hit them away.

While he fought of the large group of thugs. Someone was running towards them. Galen noticed a young man jump in to the fray, holding a staff which he uses to beat down on several opponents that near him, then slams it down onto the ground and spins around it, kicking the thugs as he did.

Galen was surprised by the sudden assist, but he quickly got over it and focused on the thugs. When a thug attacked him, Galen hit him in the gut with the hilt of his blade and kicked him away. He then grabbed the arm of one that tried to attack him with a sword, before kicking the legs from under him and slammed the thug face first into the ground.

Meanwhile, the other man with the staff faced of with 3 thugs. One tried to attack him, but he quickly hit the thug in thug in the gut before slaming his staff in to his back. The other two thugs tried to attack him, but he spun his staff and smacked them, making them stumle back. He then used his staff to send himself forward and kicked a thug in the face. The other one came at him with a knife, but the man hit it out of his hand, then jabbed him in the knee before finishing him off with a strike to the head.

Galen and the Man ended up standing back to back with Galen speaking "Thanks for the help".

"Don't mention it" The man said as he eyed the remaining thugs "Who are you?".

"Galen. You?" Galen asked.

"Kilik" The man answered.

But the man from before shouts "Kill them!".

Two Thugs rushed forward, one going at them head on while the other was attempting to flank Them from the side. Both hurled a pair of knives at them, but Galen jumped and twisted his whole body so acrobatically that the knives whistled past his body and Kilik easily knocked them away with his staff.

Galen struck one of the thugs with his still sheathed blade and kneed him in the face, making blood fly from the thugs nose as he fell to the ground. Kilik took care of the other one with several strikes before delivering a final blow to the thug's jaw, knocking out a tooth as the thug fell the the ground.

"Forget this! I am not getting paid enogh for this!" One thug yelled as he ran away. The rest of the thugs followed suit.

Kilik glared at the man behind all this and walked up to him "You have much to answer for".

"W-wait! I'll pay you! I'll give you both anything you want!" The man pleaded.

But Kilik gave him a hard jab in the chest with his staff. Galen heard bones break from the strike and the man fell to the ground.

"Was that really necessary?" Galen asked.

"People like him deserves much worse" Kilik answered.

Galen knew he was right, but still "Well... I appreciate your help".

"I was just walking bye. I'll ne meeting up with a friend later. You gonna be ok?" Kilik asked.

Galen just smirked "I could have handled them all by myself. So no need to worry".

Kilik chuckled "I saw you fight, you didn't even need to draw your sword. So I believe you on that one".

Galen bows respectfully to him "Thanks again. I wish you and your friend a safe travel".

Kilik bowed back "And I wish you well on your own journey".

With that both parted ways. Though both had a feeling that they have made a strong ally this night.

After that little brawl, Galen simply decided to leave the village. He walked for another hour, before deciding it was finally time for some sleep. He sat down under a tree, keeping his blade close, ready to pull it the moment someone might attack him.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

"Hello? Helloooo? Hellooooooo?" A young female voice kept repeating.

Galen's eyes snapped open as he quickly pulled his blade, causing the girl to yelp and back up, only to slip on a rock and fell on her butt.

The girl has short blond hair, pale skin, and bright green eyes. She also has a slender frame, though fairly toned physique.

Galen had to admit, she was beautiful.

"Ow! What is your problem!?" The girl snapped.

"You should have know better than to approach a sleeping armed man like that" Galen retorted.

"I was trying to wake you up for like 10 minutes now! And when you finally do, you almost cut my head of!" The girl shot back.

 _'10 minutes? Was I really in such a deep sleep?'_ Galen wondered before putting his blade back in to it's sheath "I am sorry about that. I had had a rough night".

Galen offered the girl a helping hand up. The girl glared at it for a moment before she sighs and accepted it. Galen pulled her on to her feet and she brushed the dirt of her butt.

"Figured as much. You were sleeping in a forest after all" The girl said "I was out on a morning walk until I found you".

"I see. Well I am sorry about almost attacking you" Galen said with a bow.

"Eh, you wouldn't be the first. Who are you anyway?" The girl asked.

"Galen. Galen Marek" Galen said.

The girl smiled "My name is Cassandra Alexandra".

"It was good to meet you Cassandra. But I need to ceep moving" Galen said and was about to walk away.

"Wait! My home is not to far away. And you look like you have not eaten in a while. So to make up for our rather rough first greetings, how about you join me for breakfast?" Cassandra offered.

"You would invite a stranger to your house?" Galen asked.

Cassandra smirked "Trust me. I am tougher than I look. I can handle myself in a fight, and you don't look that bad".

 _'If only you knew'_ Galen thought but just as he was about to refuse the offer... his stomach voiced it's own opinion. He sighed "Fine, you win".

Cassandra smiled in amusement before grabbing Galen's arm and began to march away with him.

 _'Who is this girl?!'_ Galen thought, wondering just what he had gotten himself in to.

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Getting to know each other.**

Having little choice in the matter, Galen had allowed himself to be dragged by Cassandra all the way to her home. This girl was stronger than she looked, when she finally let go, Galen's arm was a little sore.

"Welcome to my humble home!" Cassandra said happily.

 _'Humble? Her house look like a small palace!'_ Galen thought, impressed by Cassandra's house "This is your home? It looks really fancy".

Cassandra chuckled "If you think this is impressive, you should see my sister's home".

"You have a sister?" Galen asked in slight curiosity.

Cassandra smiled in fondness "Yes, an older sister. She is the coolest girl ever!".

"Sounds like you really admire her" Galen said.

"Of course I do. I am proud to be her sister. She is strong, smart, kind, and beautiful" Cassandra listed before she sighed "I wish I could be all that one day".

"Don't sell yourself short" Galen said without thinking.

"Come again?" Cassandra asked as if she did not hear him right.

"I mean, you can't be that bad" Galen tried to cover himself... Though he was not sure if it made it any better.

"Riiiiiiight..." Cassandra said in a tone that clearly shows she didn't buy it "Well let's head inside, if I remember correctly, you are still hungry".

Galen's belly answered for him "That's a yes".

Cassandra giggled and led him inside. Galen was told to sit bye the table while Cassandra got some good ready "I'll throw together something simple. Hope you don't mind".

"I'll eat anything you make, so don't worry" Galen assured. He was not really picky when it came to the stuff he ate. Food is food and should never be wasted.

Cassandra smiled "Good to hear. It will be done in a moment".

Galen leaned back in the chair as he heard Cassandra huming to herself. Galen took the chance to think about the stuff he had seen so far. He had met thugs and an honorable warrior. Not to mention corrupt businessmen.

Though while those men he fought were bad people, they were not the great evil that his father had told him about. And so far Galen had no leads of who or what this evil might be.

He was brought out of his thoughts when a plate suddenly appeared in front of him "May it satisfy your hunger!".

Galen looked at the food, it was a simple combination of fruits, salad and some bread. Nothing fancy, but he was not about to complain "Thank you".

"Just dig in" Cassandra said as she sat down with her own plate and began to eat.

Galen used a wooden fork to eat some of the salad and fruit "This is really good".

Cassandra giggled "Glad to hear it, though you should try my sister's cooking. I swear the gods blessed her with unrivaled talent".

"So how is your sister? She must be a really good person for you to speak so fondly of her" Galen said.

"Well, me and my sister are... rather different. She was always calm, peaceful and spent most of her time living that life" Cassandra explained "Me? I have always been more of a rebel, I got in to trouble very offten and I love adventures. We tend to clash from time to time, but that is just sisterly love for you. We still love eachother greatlly and always have eachother's backs not matter how thought the times get".

Galen nods as he took a bite out of his bread, after he swallowed it he spoke "Must be nice. To have a family like that".

"It is. So, Galen, tell me about yourself" Cassandra said.

"I am a traveler" Galen said simply.

Cassandra rolled her eyes "Yes, I can see that, I have eyes. I ment who are you? Where are you from? What do you like do?".

"I'm from a small village in the middle of nowhear, nothing big to say about it" Galen answered.

Cassandra shook her head, Galen was far from conversationalist "What about your family?".

Galen sighed "My mother died when I was really young, I was raised by my father".

Cassandra hesitated to ask but decided to goahead with it "Why did you leave your village?".

"My village was a destroyed in a attack. And my father was killed infront of me" Galen answered. He could not tell Cassandra the whole truth, but he mixed some truth in to his fake story to make it more believable.

Cassandra gasped "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bring back bad memories!".

"It's ok. It's been years now" Galen assured, though he still was a little sore about it.

Cassandra tried to change the subject "So... what about your sword? I have not seen anything like it before".

Galen looked at his new sword "I made it myself. Comes in handy when I meet less friedly people on the roads" That reminded him "Hey Cassandra. Can I ask you something?".

"Sure, go ahead" Cassandra said.

"Do you know of any evil in the world?" Galen asked.

Cassandra blinked in confusion at the unexpected question "Evil? Well... yeah. I have seen plenty of evil. No place is perfect, we got evil people here too".

Galen sighed "Let me clarify. Do you know of any pure evil? The kind that makes greedy men look like nothing".

Cassandra finally understood and her face darkened "Yes, there is an evil like that out there. I don't know much about it, but I know it is the reason why my family's lives have been alot darker".

"Any ideas what this evil is?" Galen asked, hoping for some info.

"Demons. I know for a fact that it is a dimonic evil" Cassandra answered before looking at Galen "Why do you ask?".

Galen figurd it was no harm in telling her "I wish to put an end to this evil".

Cassandra nods at that "You and me both. But no one knows where it is and searching the world to find it would take to long".

Galen sighed, he figured as much. Without a solid lead, finding this evil creature would be next to impossible. Maybe he could meditate on it and see if he can track it.

"Well, enough of that for now. I got a spare room down the hall. You can rest there if you want" Cassandra said.

Galen nods as he stood up "Thank you. And thanks for the food. I hope I can repay you for this".

Cassandra smiled "I'll think of something. I can promise you that".

Galen had a bad feeling about that, but thought nothing of it as he headed to the room Cassandra had pointed him to. After her entered the room, Galen sat on the bed with his legs crossed and began to meditate... He could already feel a darkness and tried to focus on it...

He had no idea what was about to happen.

* * *

At another place. A dark armored creature was walking through a forest. But then he stopped when he felt something.

He looked around but saw nothing **"What is this?"** He spoke in a dark dimonic voice before he looked up at the sky **"Who I calling me?"**.

He decided to try and focus on it.

* * *

Back with Galen, he felt something... something bad! Like what ever he was trying to find was answering him!

Galen soon found himself in a dark place, only source of light was a flame that grew by the second.

The armored monster opened his red eyes and saw Galen **"You..."**.

Gelen could not fully see who or what was standing infront of him. All he saw was some armor and... a large sword.

 **"Who are you!?"** The monster demanded as she reached out with his massive hand.

Galen let out a short shout, before finding himself back in the room Cassandra let him stay in. He was breathing hard before wiping the sweat of his face.

 _'By the force... what was that?!'_ Galen though, trying to calm down _'I have never felt such pure evil before. Nothing but anger, hatred... and thirst?'_.

There was a knock on the door before Cassandra walked inside, a worried look on her face "Hey Galen, you ok in there? I heard you scream".

Galen took a deep breath to calm himself before answering "I'm fine... just a nightmare".

"What was it about?" Cassandra asked.

"Darkness... nothing but darkness" Galen answered.

Cassandra was silent for a moment, trying to come up with a way to take Galen's mind of what he had just seen. Then it clicked "Fight me!".

Galen blinked "Excuse me?".

"You and me, outside, in a good little fight. That should help us let out some steam and relax" Cassandra declared.

Galen had no idea what has gotten into this girl. But she did have a point. A good duel might do some good "Ok. I accept your challenge".

Cassandra smirked "I'll go get my sword and shield. Meet me on the training platform down the hill".

"Got it" Galen said as Cassandra left the room _'Now what have I gotten myself in to?'_.

* * *

Soon enough, both Galen and Cassandra were on a large rock platform. Galen had seen something like these before. They are often used for training by Jedi and Sith alike.

Cassandra hit her shield with her sword 3 times "The rules are very simple. The first one to fall on their back and get's pinned, lose".

"And what do I gain from doing this? Other than letting of some steam?" Galen asked as he took out his sword.

Cassandra smirked and struck a pose "You get me!".

"What!?" Galen asked in shock, his face a little red.

Cassandra laughed loudly "Just kidding. The winner decides what they want".

Galen shook his head _'This girl...'_.

"You better not go easy on me. Or I will be very mad" Cassandra said.

"If I go all out I could kill you" Galen pointed out.

Cassandra glared "Still doubting me huh? Well I'll show you!",

Glane shakes his head and gets ready. It's not that he thought Cassandra was weak. He just wanted to avoid killing her since this whole thing was just ment to be a fun match where they could test their skills and help eachother calm down a bit. It was not a duel to the death.

Cassandra got in to a stance, her teasing smile still on her face. Galen did the same, though he was not amused.

After a short stare down, Galen charges in and strikes at Cassandra, but she lunges forward, blocks it with her shield, and sweeps his legs from beneath him with her legs. He falls but then spins on his hands, and does a double back-handspring. The two stop and stare at each other for a moment as Cassandra stands up from a kneeling position. She runs forward to attack, but Galen strikes first, leading her to instead block the first strike with her sword and a second with her shield, before turning around and blocking a further barrage of strikes with her shield.

Cassandra ends the barrage by hitting his leg away with her foot, creating an opening for her to ram her shield into him. He lands on his feet and slides to a stop some distance away.

Galen was slightly impressed _'She is good. She was not kidding when she said she could handle herself in a fight'_.

He then leaps into the air and, with a spin, brings his sword down on Cassandra shield, making her jump back slightly. After landing on the ground, Galen spins with one leg out, but Cassandra raises her foot over it and steps backward. He quickly stands and leaps into the air, kicking at her, but she blocks with her shield.

Cassandra smirked _'He is good! This is getting my blood pumping!'_.

As Cassandra turns, dives, and rolls away, Galen continues his spin, swinging his leg high in the air, only to find that she has moved away from him. He steps back while Cassandra instantly rights herself, crouching on the floor with her shield in front of her. Galen then charges forward, leaps, and lands three consecutive strikes on her shield. She moves her shield to the side and begins to raise her sword, but Galen kicks her shield, then quickly switches in mid-air and stirkes the arm with which she is holding her sword, forcing her to block, before switching once again to kick her shield.

Cassandra swung her blade forward, clashing with Galen's sword, sending sparks flying everywhere. Galen backed up, and slashed forward twice, only to be countered with similar slashes from Cassandra. What followed were a rapid series of slashes and strikes.

After several seconds of the blades clashing, Cassandra raised her shield and snickered. Galen attacked, but Cassandra saw an opening, and stabbed forward. Galen was forced to dodge, and he staggered back as a result. Cassandra took the opportunity, charged forward, and rammed Galen with her shield. But Galen put his foot on it and jumped up in to the air.

As Galen lands a kick on her shield, Cassandra lost her grip on her sword and it flew into the air, but before she can catch it, Galen switches once more to kick her in the side. This forces her to move her arm forward and block the kick. He then turns away, spinning once again and leaving an opening for Cassandra to turn around and catch her sword. Both combatants continue their spin to face each other, Cassandra swinging her blade and Galen swinging his Katana. Their attacks deflect each other, and Galen turns in mid-air and kicks at Cassandra's shield. Cassandra swings her sowrd upward, scraping it against Galen's robe, but then he quickly spins and with his Katana hits Cassandra's sword out of her hand.

The two watch the blade stab into the floor, and Galen triumphantly smirks at Cassandra, before she ends up spinning around and raising her leg up high to kick him. However, Galen uces the force on instinct as he moves his hand toward Cassandra's boot. When his hand is about half an inch away, he repels her boot, sending Cassandra into an off-balance spin. She stumbles and drops into a kneel, gaining a thoughtful look on her face. Hearing footsteps approaching her, she smirks as she got an idea.

"Looks like I won" Galen said.

"Not yet, I got one more trick to show you" Cassandra said.

Before Galen could react, Cassandra did the last thing he expected. Cassandra jumped and... slammed her **butt** into his chest. The impact actually knocked the air out of him as he stumbled back.

Cassandra jumped back, slaming her butt in to Galen's face, which knocked him on his back. Cassandra then stood over him and simply fell on her butt on to his stomach, making him let out a pain filled grunt.

Galen groans before looking at Cassandra who was still sitting on him with a big smirk on her face "I won!"

Galen gave her a blank look "What. Was. That?".

Cassandra giggled "I call it: Booty power!" She jumped to her feet before turning around and shook her butt a little "Never underestimate the power of a girl's booty!".

"Noted..." Galen said, feeling humiliated that he lost to such a silly move. And his face grew a little red from Cassandra's booty dance.

"Well, since I won, I get to decide my price!" Cassandra siad happily.

"Fine, what do you want?" Galen asked as he sat up.

"I don't know yet. Seems you will just need to stay with me until I figure it out" Cassandra said.

"I don't have time for this. I need to keep moving" Galen argued.

"Then you should have thought twice before accepting my challenge. You're stuck with me now" Cassandra said with a knowing smirk.

"You are by far, the weirdest girl I have ever met" Galen said with a shake of his head.

"I take that as a compliment. Now come on, I am taking you to meet my sister tomorrow and I want us both to be fresh or she will scold me... again" Cassandra said as she headed back towards her house.

"It's official... that girl will be the death of me" Galen mumbles to himself. But he did lose the match so he had no choice but to honor their deal.

With those thoughts in mind, he followed Cassandra back to her house.

* * *

Back in the forest, the armored demon had spent a lot of time trying to figure out just what happened before. Who was that boy? And how was he able to contact him like that? Many questions flew through his mind and non of them had any answers.

But one thing he was able to get, was a small taste of the boy's soul. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. His soul was stronger than any normal man and his power was not magic, but something more pure. The demon had a feeling there was so much to lern about this boy and that his soul could be what he's been looking for all these years.

 **"Interesting... alright boy, you have peaked my interest. I will just have to find you and test your power for myself. And after I kill you, I will claim your soul and with it's power, I shall cover the world in eternal darkness!"** The demon said as he rose is monstrous blade to the sky

 **"The Nightmare has begun!"**.

Dark times were coming and the fate of many souls hangs in the balance of light and dark.

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Meeting The Family.**

After his really embarrassing defeat in their duel, Galen was now following Cassandra to meet her sister... or more like he was being forced to follow her since she was dragging him by the arm. He almost stumbled several times trying to keep pace with her.

 _'Just were is she getting all her energy from?!'_ Galen wondered in his head as the strange girl just kept dragging him "Would you slow down and let go of my arm! I can walk on my own".

"Oh shut it. You lost our duel, you are my slave until I've figured out what I really want from you" Cassandra said as she continued to drag him.

"That was not a part of our deal" Galen argued.

Cassandra stopped in her tracks, turned around and looked Galen dead in the eyes **"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further"**.

Galen could have sworn Cassandra's eyes had lightning in them. Still her words and her tone made it clear there was no arguing with her so Galen had to relent "Fine".

Cassandra smiled in victory and began dragging him again "Now stop whining", we're almost there. Also my sister is a real beauty so try not to stare".

"I won't" Galen assured. They finally reach the home of Cassandra's sister. Galen blinked'Does fancy homes run in her family? One would think they are princesses'.

"Hey sis! I'm here and I brought a guest!" Cassandra called out.

Moments later, a woman stepped out. She had pale skin, green eyes, and long, braided blonde hair and was wearing some standard white clothes. It was easy to see that she and Cassandra were sisters, as they looked alot alike, only the sister looked older and more mature than Cassandra.

"Well Galen. Meet my older sister, Sophitia" Cassandra introduced.

Galen bowed to show respect "I am Galen Marek. It's a pleasure, Cassandra spoke highly of you".

Sophitia studied him for a moment before she smiles "Good to see you have manners. Hopefully you will be good influence for Cassandra".

"What is that supposed to mean!?" Cassandra demanded in a childish tone.

Sophitia ignored her younger sister and kept talking to Galen "It's nice to meet you aswell Galen. Was hoping my sister would find someone she could be with".

"Say what now?" Galen asked.

Cassandra blushed "It's not like that! I found him in a forest and offered him to stay with me because I wanted to be nice!".

"If you say so sis" Sophitia said with an amused look in her eyes "Well please come in, we have much to talk about".

With that Sophitia walked inside and Galen looked at Cassandra "You weren't exaggerating".

Cassandra gave him a knowing smile "I wish we had made a bet on that too. Then there would be two things you owe me".

Galen rolled his eyes "Don't push it".

Cassandra giggled as she walked inside and Galen followed. When they got inside, Galen looked around and saw alot of statues of people he had never seen before.

"Who are all these people?" Galen asked.

Cassandra stopped and gave him a look like he was crazy "You never heard about the gods before?".

"I lived in the middle of nowhere remember. I am still learning the different cultures" Galen said.

"Well these are the gods of our home. **Apollo: God of music. Ares: God of war. Hephaestus: God of Fire and Metalworking. And Zeus: God of the Sky and King of the Gods** " Cassandra said, pointing at each statue as she told the names of the gods "Infact, Hephaestus is the one who helped providing my sister with her sword and shield".

"Fascinating" Galen admitted.

"Your people did not have gods?" Cassandra asked.

Galen shook his head "No... we believe in something else".

"Like what?" Cassandra asked.

"I will tell you some other time if I can" Galen said as he kept walking.

 _'Just who is this guy?'_ Cassandra wondered.

* * *

Elsewhere in a forest that is usually peaceful, keyword being usually. The peace was broken when a man flew through the air and hit a tree. Several more men were backing away as the large menacing dark knight Nightmare was walking towards them, like a predator ready to rip his victims apart.

"What is this thing!?" A man asked.

The leader of the group growled "The one who has our prize. That blade belongs to us, don't just stand there! Kill him".

The man charged at Nightmare, raised his large fist and punched the closest assailant in the face.

He then lifts his large blade and to slams it into the next man, sending him flying with a massive wound on his chest, he was dead before he even hit the tree. Nightmare then brings his blade down on another after following through the motion, breaking the man's body. The final attacker rasied a rifle and opens fire on Nightmare. But Nightmare simply holds up his blade and blocks the incoming rounds as he walked towards the shooter, a strong killing intent in his eyes. The man ran out of amo, this allows Nightmare to get close enough to knock him into the air. He then spins his and strikes the man as he comes back down, the strike sends the man flying and he lands at the leader's feet.

The leader was shaking in terror "What are you!?".

 **"I am darkness, I am death, I am bloodshed"** Nightmare rasied his blade **"I am The Nightmare"**.

The leader only had time to scream once, before the large blade shattered his body and blood flew through the area.

Nightmare looked at the carnage he had wrought **"These pathetic souls, do not satisfy my thirst. They are not the ones I seak"**.

Since it was clear he had wasted his time with these weaklings. Nightmare continued his hunt for the one with the strong soul.

* * *

Back with Galen and the Alexandra family, they were enjoying some dinner. Once again Cassandra was not kidding when she said Sophitia was a good cook. The food was better than anything Galen had tasted before. Cassandra clearly felt the same as she was eating real fast.

"Cassandra, manners" Sophitia scolded her younger sister.

"Don't be such a stick in the butt, sis. It's just us" Cassandra said.

"We have a guest" Sophitia pointed out.

"I don't mind ma'am, but if it bothers you then Cassandra should behave a little better" Galen said.

"Traitor!" Cassandra said while pointing her fork at Galen.

Galen just rasied an eyebrow "I am a traitor for not approving your table manners?".

Cassandra gave him a childish glare and Sophitia giggled at the scene, she decided to change the subject "So Galen. You said you were a traveler. Is that how you ended up here?".

Galen nods "Yes. I had spent the whole day walking, I tried to rest in a nearby village, but after an encounter with some unpleasant people, I had to keep moving. That's how I ended up sleeping in the forest until Cassandra found me and offered me to stay at her house".

"And then I beat him in a duel!" Cassandra said in pride.

"You got lucky. You used a style I was not ready for" Galen said, still a little sore for losing to that.

"What style?" Sophitia asked.

"My special style" Cassandra said with a smirk.

"More like the humiliating style" Galen scoffed.

"She beat you with her butt, didn't she?" Sophitia asked knowingly.

Galen blushed at the memory while Cassandra giggled.

Sophitia sighed "I never approve of that immature technique".

Cassandra snorts "Says the woman who puts her crotch in her opponents face".

"I do not put my crotch in their face! I use my legs to grapple them!" Sophitia defended.

"Right... by putting your crotch in their face first" Cassandra teased.

Now Galen was not sure if he wanted to spar with Sophitia.

Sophitia shakes her head "Moving on, you said you did not have gods where you're from Galen. So what do you believe in".

Galen figured he could tell them a little of it "The Force".

"The Force?" Cassandra asked, finding the name strange.

"The Force was an energy field that connected all living things in the galaxy" Galen said.

He reachived blank looks from the sisters "Uh... what?".

Galen sighs, he forgot they are from a much more primitive age "I will try to simplify it for you. The force is a metaphysical, spiritual, binding, and ubiquitous power that held enormous importance for. It surrounds all living things in existence and bounds them together".

Sophitia thinks about this "You mean it's like our souls?".

Galen thinks about her question "I guess you could say that. When someone dies, they become one with the force".

"Soooo... does this force grant you any powers?" Cassandra asked "When my sister was chosen by the gods, she gained some magical powers from them".

Galen nods "Yes, those that are force sensitives can learn to use the force in a number of ways".

"Like what?" Cassandra asked.

Galen thought of a way to show them. Then he got an idea that made him smirk a little "Like this".

Cassandra blinked when she felt something was of... like her chair was being lifted... She gasped as she suddenly grabbed her chair for dear life "WHAT THE!?".

Sophitia watched in amazement as Cassandra and her chair was floating in the air. Galen made her spin around a little, this may be a little childish and not the jedi way, but Galen is not a normal jedi, and he couldn't resist the opportunity for a little pay back.

"STOP! PUT ME DOWN!" Cassandra screamed as she continued to be spun around.

"Why? I thought you would find it fun" Galen teased, earning a laugh from Sophitia.

"GALEN MAREK! IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT I WILL BOOTY SMASH YOUR FACE SO THAT IT WON'T LOOK SO HANDSOME ANYMORE!" Cassandra screamed.

Galen chuckled and finally put her down. Cassandra took a moment to catch her breath.

"You ok sis?" Sophitia asked.

"Yes... I'm fine..." Cassandra said as she slowly stood up, though keeping her legs tightly closed for some reason "Now if you'd excuse me. I need to go change".

Cassandra slid on her feet until she was out of the room.

Galen blinked "Did she just...?".

"Do something she has not done since we were kids? I believe she did" Sophitia confirmed.

A few moments passed... then both Galen and Sophitia burst out laughing. It may seem mean, but it was impossible to not laugh at the normally cocky girl getting a little embarrassed.

"Wow... I love Cassandra with all my hear and soul. But it's always good to see her be put in her place from time to time" Sophitia said as she wiped her eyes.

Galen chuckled as he calmed down "I'll be happy to do it again if needed. Now I finally have something over her since I will be stuck with he for a while".

Sophitia looked at him "Stuck with her?".

"Before our duel, we had a deal that the winner got to pick their prize. And since I lost I am stuck with her until she figures out what she wants" Galen explained.

"I see..." Sophitia said, hanging a feeling of what Cassandra might want "Tell me Galen. How do you feel about her?".

"What do you mean?" Galen asked confused.

"What do you feel about my sister as a person?" Sophitia clarified.

Galen thought about it "Well... she is confident, a little brash and she loves to talk. But she is also caring, helpful and dependable. She could have just left me to fend for myself, I was a complete stranger so no one would fault her for it. But she let me stay and rest in her house and even gave me food. I am lucky she found me".

Sophitia smiled when he said that "How about more... intimately?".

Galen got wide eyes and even blushed a little "It's not like that! We're friends, that's all!".

"Oh?" Sophitia asked with a amused smile.

"I mean, she is attractive, but we don't even know each other that well yet" Galen tried to add.

"Then why don't you get to know her a little better?" Sophitia asked.

Galen sighs "I don't know... in fact I don't know if I can feel something like that again... I did once, but never got to live that life".

"Galen. It's not to late for a new beginning. I know that my sister can be a little overwhelming at times and I may not know you that well yet. But even now I can tell from the ways you look and talk to each other, that there is something between you two" Sophitia said before putting her hand on Galen's arm "And I can see that you are not a bad person Galen and Cassandra trusts you. I know there is a future for you two".

Galen let her words sink in before her looked down "I just... don't know".

"If you need help, then just come talk to me" Sophitia said before she got up to do the dishes.

It was clear that Sophitia was a very kind and warm person. She showed much love for her family. A true family woman... though Galen could sense something inside of her... something familiar... something evil.

Galen silently hoped that whatever it was would not cause problems in the future. And he hoped that it was not what he feared it could be.

* * *

Elsewhere, Nightmare was growing weary of his search that yielded no results. At this rate it would take to long to find the soul he wanted. He stabbed his large blade in to the ground and focused his power.

 **"Hear me my servants. Go. Find my prize. Find the soul!"** Nightmare spoke through his blade. After receiving a response from his loyal servants he looked at the sky " **I am coming for you, boy. Your soul is mine!"**

Dark times were approaching, and the world would feel it.

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**First evil encounter.**

3 days had passed since Galen met the two sisters. Cassandra still refused to let him leave, saying that she still has not gotten her prize for winning their duel yet. But when Galen keeps asking her about it, she always tells him that she's still thinking about it. It was starting to ge a little frustrating. Galen did not come her to laze around, he was here to track down and kill that monster... though he knew he would need a solid lead before he can even consider searching for it, something he will never fine while being stuck in this place.

 _'I never should have agreed to that deal'_ Galen thought a little annoyed as Cassandra had taken him on a shopping trip.

"Well that should be all we need to keep us alive for a few days. I will make the perfect dinner this time!" Cassandra said, full of spirit as ever.

"Cassandra..." Galen spoke making said girl look at him.

"Yes dear?" Cassandra said with a wink. She had also become more flirty these past few days. Ironic given how flustered she was when Sophitia teased her

"I need to leave" Galen said.

"Cassandra's face fell "You can't. I still need-".

"Enough Cassandra! I have waited long enough for you to name your prize. I can't stay here any longer!" Galen almost snapped. He was sick of her excuses.

Cassandra looked really hurt at that and looked away "If you hate me that much, you could have just said so and I would have allowed you to leave days ago...".

Galen got wide eyes "What are you talking about? I don't hate you. I could never hate you after all the help you've given me".

"Then why are you in such a hurry to leave!?" Cassandra demanded. She looked really upset.

Galen sighs "You know why. While we are having fun, monsters are out there making people's lives a living hell. I need to stop them".

"But why do you have to be the one?! You are not the only warrior in the world! They can deal with their own problems!" Cassandra argued.

Galen pointed to his sword "Because I am among the few that actually can destroy this evil. My sword was made for that purpose".

Cassandra was silent for several moments before turning away "Fine! You can leave tomorrow if you really have too".

"Cassandra, it's not that I don't enjoy your company. I just have a duty I need to for fill" Galen said as he placed a hand on Cassandra's shoulder.

Cassandra brushed him of "No, I get it. Duty above all else. You are so focused on saving other lives, and don't spare a single thought in to having one yourself".

Galen had wide eyes as Cassandra began to walk again. He was beginning to believe there could be some truth to Sophitia's words.

"Cassandra..." He whispered, he then sighed before following her.

They walked in a rather awkward silence before someone rudely pumped in to Cassandra, making her fall "Watch it you little slag!".

The man walked of and Galen glared at him "Well that was just uncalled for. You ok".

"I'm fine" Cassandra said, allowing Galen to help her up "But yeah, what was his problem? He pumped in to me. He should apologies for that!".

"Want me to drag him back and make him?" Galen offered.

"As much as I would love for you to do that, I rather not make a scene" Cassandra said as she dusted herself of "And big sister might not approve".

Galen watched the direction that the man had walked of in _'There was an evil aura around him. I don't think pumping in to Cassandra was an accident'_.

"Galen?" Cassandra's words made him snap out of his thoughts "You ok? You looked to be in deep thoughts".

"Do you know who that man was?" Galen asked.

Cassandra shakes her head "No. Never seen him before. Strange since I know most people in the village".

Galen narrowed his eyes as he looked back at the road where the man had left "Cassandra... I think you should avoid going out at night for a while and watch you back".

Cassandra blinks "Why? What's wrong?".

"I have a bad feeling that there is more to that man than just being rude. I felt a dark aura around him. I can't say for sure yet, but I know he could be a danger in the future if you let your guard down" Galen explained.

"Thanks for the concern Galen but you of all people should know by now that I don't need anyone to babysit me. If he comes after me I will be more than able to handle him" Cassandra argued.

Galen sighs "That is not the issue Cassandra".

"Oh you don't have to care anymore. You are leaving soon anyway!" Cassandra snapped.

"What do you want from me!?" Galen demanded, he has had just about enough of Cassandra attitude.

"You really can't see it, can you? After all this time you still don't see it!" Cassandra said before turning around in frustration "You know what? Forget it! If you can't see it, I wont bother trying to explain it to you. Our deal is of. You are free to leave".

"Cassandra!" Galen called out, but the girl kept walking without looking back "Cassandra...".

But as she walked, Cassandra had tears in her eyes.

* * *

In a alleyway the man from before seemed to be talking to himself "I found him master. And his soul is indeed strong. He was also with a young woman and they seemed really close" He paused "Yes yes I understand" Another pause "I will not fail you my master. His soul will soon belong to you".

With that he let out an evil laugh before going to work.

* * *

Later that night Galen had packed his things for the journey. Cassandra had not spoken to him at all since their little argument in the town. He felt bad for putting her through all this, he never ment to hurt her, he just needed to find this evil creature before it's to late. Still Cassandra's words were still fresh in his mind, just what was it that she wanted him to know?

He sighs as he had no real time to think to much about that. And with Cassandra refusing to talk to him, it's not like he would hear it from her. After he packed he left the house and began walking down the road.

Cassandra watched him leave from the window _'He didn't even say farewell... and it's my fault... I drove him away even faster... I should have just told him'_.

She stepped away from the window, before sitting down by her table and put her hands in her face.

"I should have told him..." She whimpered.

* * *

Galen was slowly walking down the road that was leading out of the village. Despite being in such a hurry earlier, his will to leave had all but vanished. He did his best not to form any personal connections to this place, but he would be lying if he said that Cassandra made that impossible. Despite what the girl said, Galen was not dense. He had a strong feeling of what she felt for him... he just didn't know... he was not sure about his own feelings.

Yes he liked Cassandra a lot. She might just be one of the nicest and easy going girls he had ever met. And he was happy during their time together... it's just, after Juno, he was not sure if he could ever be in such an relationship again... but still it would be comforting to not be alone.

His thoughts was interrupted when he felt a strong surge of evil energy. He looked in the direction and got wide eyes when he saw a fire... but the fire came from a very special place.

"Cassandra!" Galen all but shouted as she rushed towards the flames. Praying he would not be to late.

* * *

Cassandra coughed a little, her sword and shield next to her. Just a few moments ago she had noticed someone was in her house, but after she got her weapons, she was hit by something that sent her flying out of her home. And now here she is, on the ground as her house was burning and a man walked out of the flames.

The man walked towards her "Don't die on me yet. You are still needed".

Cassandra glared as she got up, holding her sword and shield "Who are you? And what do you want?".

"From you? Nothing. You are just bait to attract the strong soul" The man said while holding a black blade.

"Strong soul? Who are you talking about?" Cassandra demanded.

"You will know when he comes to save you" The man answered.

Cassandra knew who he was talking about now "You are wasting your time. He is long gone".

"Oh he will be back. One does not just leave someone they care about behind. I will use you to draw him back!" The man shouts as he attacks.

Cassandra blocked his attack with her shield, but the blow was far stronger than a normal human so she ended up sliding back a bit. But she maintained her balance and pushed him back.

Cassandra charges into the fray, swinging her sword in a flash. Her blade clashes with his as she pushes him back a few steps, and they stand with their blades locked.

"You... wont... get him!" Cassandra managed to get out through the struggle.

"No... but you will" He kicks her away, knocking her onto the ground.

"He will come for you. And when he does, I will drag him to my master so he can collect what belongs to him" The man said in a insane tone.

"Oh shut up already!" Cassandra shouts and attacks him again.

But the man blocks the strikes and backhands Cassandra across her face, knocking her over. She begins to raise her sword again, only for him to kick it out of her hand, knocking her over once again.

"And as my master set out upon this world and deliver the darkness he has promised, I will stand by his side and destroy everything you love" The man said in his insane voice "Now. How about we give the boy some motivations!".

He draws his sword and stabs it into Cassandra's abdomen near her left hip, causing her to shriek in pain. He laughs like a maniac as he twists his blade.

"Yes! Scream! Soon he will feel that pain and then-!" Before he could finish another shield hit him in the face.

"Get away from my sister!" Came the voice of Sophitia.

The man glared "You little wretch! I am not here for you! Get lost!".

"Hurt my family and you will pay dearly!" Sophitia said in a deadly tone.

"Fine! I will be happy to kill you!" The man said as he got ready to attack.

"Leave them alone!" Came an very familiar voice to Cassandra.

Said girl was able to look in the direction of the voice "Galen...".

Galen was glaring at the man, his hand on his sword in a tight grip "Did you not hear me? Get away from them now!".

The man smiled evilly "Fine, you're the one I'm here for anyway. My master will be so pleased".

"Your master will be disappointed" Galen said calmly, but a hint of anger could be detected in his voice.

The man screams as he ran towards Galen at full speed. Galen got ready before dashing forward at inhuman speed. A slicing sound was heard before Galen could be seen several meters behind the man, his sword still in a striking position.

The man began to shake "H-how?!".

Galen calmly stood up straight and sheathes his sword "Your attacks may be strong. But your defense is pitiful. You left yourself wide open".

The man coughed before falling to the ground.

Sophitia hurried to Cassandra and lifts her upper body "Sis! You ok?".

Galen ran up to them "Cassandra!".

"Galen... you came back... promise not to leave me again" Cassandra spoke weakly.

"I'm not going anywhere Cassandra" Galen assured.

Cassandra smiled "Thank you...".

"He wound is not fatal. But it would be best to get her some medical attention real soon" Sophitia said.

Galen nods "Agreed".

But then they heard a laugh from the man "Fools... killing me means nothing! My master knows where you are now. And he will have your soul! **The Nightmare!** Will never end!" With one final laugh, the man died.

After a few moments of silence Galen looked to the sky **"Nightmare...".**

Now he knew what to call the monster.

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Confession.**

The day after the attack, Galen was meditating on a open field. He was waiting for news regarding Cassandra's condition. But he was also thinking about what happened that night. When Galen faced of with that corrupted man and after what he saw that the man had done with Cassandra, he almost gave in to the dark side. He was just so angry and wanted nothing more than to see that bastard dead.

Galen sighs, it was now clear to him that he was closer to Cassandra than he thought he was. He had only known her for a rather short time and already she had made an impact on his life. All the more reason he needed to stop this... Nightmare.

"But how..." Galen whispers to himself.

"You seem troubled young man" Came a voice, making Galen look up and saw a old man with white hair and a beard.

"Who are you?" Galen asked.

"I am called Edge Master" The man answered "Heard you've been tracking Nightmare".

Galen was on full alert "You know who he is?".

"I don't know him personally. But I know his weapon. Soul Edge" Edge Master said.

"Sould Edge?" Galen asked a little confused.

"If your goal is to stop Nightmare. You need to know about Soul Edge, since that is the source to his power" Edge Master said.

"I'm listening" Galen said.

Edge master nods and sits down before he began to explain "The Evil Sword, Soul Edge, has a reputation for devouring souls. The weapon is also known to be a shape-shifter – which form it takes depends on its current owner. Only those with great mental discipline can retain their will while wielding this weapon. When some takes up the sword, they create the Evil Seed, a manifestation of the sword's evil energy that caused disastrous negative effects".

"What happens to those who try to use it?" Galen asked.

"Soul Edge's curse is called malfestation, and is inflicted not only upon those who wield the sword itself, but those who come into contact with its shards. Normally, the Evil Seed transforms the person infected into a demonic monster and feeds off the host's inner sinful deeds of bloodlust, controlling and manipulating their actions, and forcing the user to take the souls of whom they defeat in battle" Edge master said.

Galen thought this over, this Soul Edge was a lot like the dark side of the force. The main difference was that one must choose the the dark side out of their own free will, they can not be forced to turn. But with Soul Edge, you don't have that freedom. You become enslaved by it.

"How can it be stopped?" Galen asked.

"It can only be stopped by holy weapons. The first known bearer of Soul Edge was the Hero King, Algol, whose strong will conquered the evil intelligence of the blade. However, his son, Arcturus, was not so strong, and quickly fell under the dark influence of the sword. Jealous of his father's power, he stole Soul Edge and instantly came under the possession of the evil sword. In a desperate battle against the deranged prince, the mighty king defeated Soul Edge, but at the cost of his son's life. Swearing vengeance against the cursed blade, which disappeared after the encounter, he forged from purified fragments of Soul Edge the holy blade Soul Calibur" Edge Master explained.

Galen took out his sword "What about this?".

Edge Master studied it and could feel the power from the sword "It is indeed an holy blade... maybe it can protect you from Soul Edge's influence. But that is a big maybe".

"This blade was forged to battle evil. I hope it can stop nightmare. But if not, then tell me about the other blade. Soul Calibur" Galen said.

"Soul Calibur is the spirit sword created to combat Soul Edge. When Algol lost his son because of the demonic sword, he vowed to create a holy sword from the purified shards of Soul Edge that would oppose the evil sword, being its equal in strength and opposite in intent. Algol enlisted the help of the greatest sage in the land, who used purified fragments of the cursed sword to forge a new spirit sword, to be known as "Soul Calibur". After many failed attempts, the holy sword was born when Algol sacrificed himself to complete the ritual" Edge master explained.

"And what is the nature of this blade?" Galen asked.

"While it was meant to stop Soul Edge. It is still not a blade for the weak willed. Such power can only be used by someone with a strong will and pure intentions" Edge Master explained.

"What happened to it?" Galen asked.

"However, the sword that was created was far from good due to Algol's thirst for power, and it was extremely similar in nature to Soul Edge. Nonetheless, the tribe that was tasked with guarding the sword slowly purified it to the point that it could be considered a holy weapon, while keeping dormant the dark soul that rested within the sword. The guardians lived in seclusion, passing the sword from generation to generation in secret. Whenever a warrior vowed to take on Soul Edge on his own, Soul Calibur appeared to prevent the cursed sword from causing any more damage" Edge Master said "So in short. Soul Calibur is not the perfect blade it was meant to be. But nothing else can truly stop Soul Edge".

"Then where is this blade? If it can stop Soul Edge and destroy Nightmare, then I might need it" Galen said.

"I am afraid I don't know where it is. But be warned young warrior. If you go down this path, many soul ripping ordeals awaits you" Edge Master said.

"I am aware of that. But I made a promise to my father. I must stop the evil that is tormenting this world... and I am ready for the pain that comes" Galen said.

"I pray you are right. I have seen many good souls fall to that vile blade" Edge Master said as he stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait! How did you even know all that?" Galen asked.

"I have been everywhere in this world young man. I have seen things many believe to be simple stories. And when you reach my age, you tend to learn more than a few things" Edge Master said before he looked at Galen "But before you even think about going in to battle. Make sure you fulfill your heart's desire first".

With that, the old man walked away. Galen thought about what he said and decided he could not wait anymore and went to go see Cassandra. He really needed to clear things up with her or else he did not know if he could stay sane if he left it like this.

* * *

Galen reached Sophitia's home, since Cassandra's home was burnt down, she had to live with her older sister. Luckily Sophitia did not mind and was more than happy to allow her sister to stay with her. Galen knocked on the large door and soon enough Sophitia opened up.

"Galen. I'm glad you are here, I was just about to go find you" Sophitia said.

"How is she?" Galen asked.

"She is... better. He wound was less serious than we thought and she is healing nicely" Sophitia answered, but there was something in her tone that Galen picked up on.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Sophitia sighed "She has hardly said a word since she woke up. And when she speaks... she keeps saying that she pushed you away and this was all her fault. I tried to snap her out of it, but she wont listen. Please Galen you have to do something".

Galen puts a hand on the older Alexandra's shoulder "I promise Sophitia. I will help her anyway I can".

Sophitia smiled at him "Thank you Galen. She is in the guest room down the hallway".

Galen nods and heads down the hall to Cassandra's room. He knocked, but all he heard was a "Go away sis, I want to be alone" Galen simply walked in, making Cassandra sit up and glare "I said I wanted... Galen?".

Galen smiled softly "Hello Cassandra".

"You're... still here" Cassandra said like she could not belive it.

"I told you I would stay, didn't I?" Galen pointed out as he grabbed a chair and sat next to the bed "You ok?".

"I'll be fine. Just a little tired. My wound was not that deep" Cassandra said while rubbing her side "Looks like he only wanted to cause me pain, not cause fatal damage".

"Cassandra... I am sorry you had to go through all that. You did not deserve it" Galen said.

"It's not your fault Galen. And I was the one who pushed you away. In a way I did deserve it" Cassandra said, looking down.

"I admit I did feel a little hurt that you told me to leave. But the pain I caused you was far worse. I should not have snapped at you... and I should have talked to you about this a lot sooner instead of just leaving without even trying to clear things between us" Galen said.

"Talk about what?" Cassandra asked.

"About us" Galen answered, making Cassandra look at him "Cassandra... what is this between us? What do you truly feel?".

"So you still don't know? Gods you are dense" Cassandra said with a sigh.

"I am not as dense as you think. I have a feeling of what it is. But I want to hear you say it" Galen said.

Cassandra looked him in the eyes for several moments. When it became clear that he was not going to back down, she sighed and got out of the bed. She was only dressed in a simple night gown with some sort of panties, though she did not have a bra so parts of her breasts could be seen.

"Fine. Ever since I met you in the forest, I knew there was something special about you, that is a part of the reason I offered you to stay with me..." Cassandra put a hand on her chest "Ever since then, a feeling in my heart has been growing stronger everyday... And it is clear to me now what that feeling is...".

"Cassandra... please tell me" Galen said softly.

Cassandra took a deep breath "I love you..." She looks at him "I love you Galen... like I have never loved any other man".

Galen was silent for a moment "I will admit, I had a feeling you felt like that... and I will also admit that I was doubting my own feelings" Cassandra looked away, ready to cry... until she jumped when she felt hands on her shoulders "But..." Galen smiled at her "Hearing your words has cleared my mind. I know what I feel now: I love you too Cassandra".

Cassandra looked at him in shock before she suddenly kissed him. Galen was taken of guard, but he soon returned the kiss. Cassandra wrapped her arms around his neck and Galen wrapped his arms around Cassandra's back. The kiss lasted for a full minuted before they pulled back.

Cassandra smiled "Thank you Galen... for letting me feel this wonderful feeling".

Galen smiled back "And I thank you for the same thing Cassandra".

They kissed again and it soon turned more passionate. Cassandra let her night gown fall to the floor as Galen pulled of his shirt. Their chests pressed together as they kissed once more. Galen lifted Cassandra who wrapped her legs around his waist as he did. They soon fell back on the bed as they continued making love.

It was a wonderful night.

* * *

When morning arrived, Galen woke up when the sun shine through the window. He blinked several times before he noticed a certain someone sleeping on his chest, naked as the day she was born and the blanket barely covering her powerful butt.

Galen smiled as he moved some hair away from her face. She was so beautiful when she slept that Galen almost did not want to wake her up. But if he didn't they would be stuck here for a while.

"Time to wake up sunshine" Galen said.

Cassandra groans "5 more minutes".

Galen chuckled "You are such a child sometimes".

"Oh shut up" Cassandra said as she lifted herself up with her arms so she could look at him with a smile "What a night huh?".

"It was a good night Cassandra... the best one of my life" Galen said while rubbing her cheek.

Cassandra giggled "Best one so far. We got many more ahead of us".

"I know... but for now, I rather enjoy the moment" Galen said.

Cassandra smiled and kissed his cheek before snuggling back in to him. Galen gently rubbed her shoulder. Not matter what horrors and darkness awaited him. This was a light that would bring him comfort.

Outside the room, Sophitia had heard their little talk. She smiled as she walked away. Happy that Cassandra finally found her soul mate. She was so proud of her.

 **.**

 **This is something I've wanted to write for a long time now and I am happy I finally did it.**

 **Tell me what you think**


	7. Chapter 7

**A samurai warrior's challenge.**

2 days had passed since Galen and Cassandra confessed to each other and their bond had grown stronger than they thought possible. Galen never expected to fall in love again after Juno. But now he has finally decided to try and make the most of his new life, and having an relationship with Cassandra would be a good start.

Sophitia who was well aware of their new bond, was over joyed that Cassandra finally found love, just like Sophitia herself did a while back. Galen had her blessing to be with Cassandra and was truly proud to see how happy they were together.

However Galen knew for a fact that their lives would be anything but problem free. Even now, the threat of Nightmare was still a major issue. Galen still needed to find the demon and stop him. But if he told Cassandra, it could spark another argument. Meaning he would need to find a way to go after Nightmare without Cassandra getting upset.

But at the end of the day, Galen did take Edge Master's words to heart. He wanted to form as many happy memories with Cassandra as he could, it would give him more to fight for.

Right now, both Galen and Cassandra sat next to each other on a hill. Cassandra was leaning on Galen who had his arm around her shoulders. They were just enjoying the moment together.

"It's beautiful" Galen said.

Cassandra smiled "Sure is. The sky looks amazing around this time".

"I was not talking about the sky Cassandra" Galen said.

Cassandra blinks and looks at him "Huh?".

"I mean this. What we have here Cassandra. It's something I never believed I was ever going to have" Galen said as he looked at Cassandra "I thought that the only purpose I had in life was to hunt down and destroy evil. Making other's lives better. But yo were right Cassandra, I focused so much on saving lives and not trying to have one of my own. If all I do is just fight others battles, I would never gain any real motivation to continue... but now with you here, I feel like I have found my very own reason to fight".

"Galen..." Cassandra whispers, she was touched by his words.

Galen smiles as he holds her closer "You are the light of my life Cassandra. As long as I have you, I feel like I can take on the whole world".

Cassandra tackled him and kissed him deeply. Galen was caught off guard at first, but soon kisses back. After a few moments they pulled back, with Cassandra smiling down at her lover.

"Then I will continue to be your light, whenever you need someone to guide you back home" She said as she placed Galen's hand on her chest "My heart is your's".

Galen smiled as he placed Cassandra's free hand on his chest "And my heart belongs to you".

Cassandra leaned down for another kiss before she felt a finger on her lip.

"As much as I enjoy this, we should get back, before things goes to the next level" Galen teased.

Cassandra blushed "I would never do that where people could see us. I just wanted a kiss, that's all!".

Galen chuckled and gave her what she wanted. After that they finally got up and began to head back. The trip was rather peaceful, just a few small talks between them. But as they were on the road back to their current home. A man was sitting on a rock, looking like he was waiting on someone.

He was a well-built Japanese man with slightly long black hair and black eyes. He was also wearing light armor on his left shoulder and arm. He was strong, that was clear and the sword on his side shows he is a warrior.

When the man noticed them he spoke up "You boy... I heard stories about a young man killing a servant of soul edge. Would that be you?".

Galen narrowed his eyes "And what if I am?".

The man stood up and gave a small bow with his head "My name is Mitsurugi and I am a wandering Samurai. I have only one goal in mind: To seek out the strongest warrior and challenge them to a duel then become the strongest warrior in history. But I'm never satisfied at the opponents I have defeated in battle. But when someone defeats as servant of soul edge, and from what I've heard, it was in only one strike. Well that does catch my interest".

"What do you want with me?" Galen demanded as Cassandra was not liking where this was going.

Mitsurugi smirked "I challenge you to a duel".

Cassandra stepped forward "Listen here sir! You can't just show up out of nowhere and demand someone to fight you! Now take your: Wanting to be the best warrior attitude, and leave us alone".

Mitsurugi was not even a little affected by Cassandra's words "Sorry. But I never back down when there is a fight to be had. Tell me boy, are you going to back down from a challenge?".

"I am not interested in your game, Samurai" Galen said.

There was A deadly glint in Mitsurugi's eyes "I assure you. This is no game".

The two men starred each other down for what felt like forever. Cassandra looked between them, getting more worried by the moment.

"I accept your challenge" Galen finally spoke.

Cassanda gasped "Galen!".

Mitsurugi smirked "Galen is it? Good, follow me".

As the samurai walked away, Cassandra ran up to Galen "What are you doing!?".

"I know his kind Cassandra. He will no take no for an answer. The only way to make him leave is if I defeat him in this duel".

"But-" Cassandra began but Galen put a hand on her shoulder.

"Trust me Cassandra. I will not lose" Galen said with a small smile.

Cassandra still did not like this, but she sighed as she knew there was no stopping this. She decided to simply trust Galen on this. They followed Mitsurugi to and open field.

The samurai turned around to face Galen "Here is where we will settle this. May the strongest warrior win".

Galen took out his sword and held it in his signature reversed grip "I am ready for you".

Mitsurugi took out his Katana and got in to his battle stance. Cassandra watched from the side lines, praying for Galen to win.

The duel has begun.

Galen charges at Mitsurugi, making several quick, but futile thrusts at Mitsurugi's head as he swiftly bobs away from the blade, and delfects those he can't. A downward strike is blocked by the base of Mitsurugi's katana. The two openly clash blades as Mitsurugi lands a downwards strike, and aggressively swipes at Galen, forcing him to do a series of back handsprings away from the sword and eventually block it. The two began spinning and trading blows.

Both Galen and Mitsurugi parry each of their foe's strikes with rapid speed, as Galen dodges a two-handed swing before smacking Mitsurugi's left cheek with the pommel of his blade. But Mitsurugi is grinning as his left eye flashes brightly. Galen is forced to leap away with as the samurai slaches his sword.

Galen takes a moment to catch his breath and go through what he had learned from their clash. Mitsurugi's fighting style almost reminded Galen about Vader's style. Solid foot work, strong defence along with a fast and powerful offence. This was a man who had trained to achive his large goal.

Mitsurugi took this as an advantage and took the first swing as the air around him thinned slightly to his swords desire, running up the steps he took a running slash at the former sith apprentice, but Galen with his quick reflexes managed to parry the blades assault and swung his at Mitsurugi causing minor damage on his's part.

Mitsurugi skidded back and slashed repeatedly causing Galen to constantly change his footing. Galen now focused took a sidestep and slash at Mitsurugi's exposed torso, but The Samurai Warrior managed to counter-strike and managed to jab Galen in the chest, with that he finished of the attack with multiple slashes that Galen struggled to block and a final kick to his gut, sending him back.

"Galen!" Cassandra screams.

Galen fliped and landed on his feet, he was not down yet. The Sound of swords clashing sounds through the area as Galen and Mitsurugi start trading blows, it takes a few minutes before Galen gets a proper hit in Mitsurugi steps back and blocks the next hit and grabs him by the handle of his sword and threw him away. Galen landed on his feet and attacked again, not wanting to give Mitsurugi a chance to recover.

Galen went on the full offensive, holding his blade with both hands as he charged full force at Mitsurugi grabed the hilt of his katana tighter, waiting until the last possible moment before side stepping Galen's forward lunge, moving in almost slow motion as the blade barely grazed his body before Galen spun around to clash Blades over and over with Mitsurugi making sparks fly everywhere. Little did galen know that as the weapons clashed Mitsurugi wasn't simply block and responding but observing, taking in every one of the Galen's movements and making several plans on how to counter every attack he sent the Samurai's way. With every clash of metal upon metal though Galen's blade began to glow as Galen used his power to increase each strike. The attacks soon began to force Mitsurugi back as Galen's strikes got stronger and stronger.

With every blocked strike Galen forced Mitsurugi more and more on the defensive until he was kicked in the chest, sending him sliding back. Mitsurugi smirked, this boy was strong, very strong. His blood was flowing in excitment.

Mitsurugi readied himself once more and charged, readying his blade, the two clashed once more as leafs and twigs hit the strong trees and grass violently, as Mitsurugi readied himself once more he spun and took another slash, but Galen managed to regain balance and gone for a jab.

Galen growls as he went in for a front-way jab but Mitsurugi due to his skill managed to parry the incoming slash and countered, Galen unfortunately didn't sidestep in time as he soon afterwards took a gash in the shoulder, trying to regain balance he momentarily fumbled but luckily he didn't lose his footing and went for a semi-vertical strike landing down on Mitsurugi, but the samurai crouched down and sidestepped from the attack screeching dust behind his heels as he lunged into the air and tried going for a strike onto Galen's neck.

"NO!" Cassandra screams as she knew Galen would not have the time to dodge the deadly strike.

Galen's eyes flashed... then Mitsurugi found himself flying through the air as he was hit by nothing! He slammed in a rock and let out a painful grunt as pain shot through his back.

Galen roars as he ran towards him. Mitsurugi only had time to look up before Galen's blade... stopped right in front of his face. Galen was glaring at him, but did his best to calm down. Anger and hate was not a weapon against evil, if he allowed himself to be consumed by his anger, he just might end up becoming Nightmare's slave.

"Go... leave me and my loved ones alone. Or I will kill you next time" Galen said as he lowers his sword.

Mitsurugi stood up and sheaths his blade "Fine, I'll let you have your moment of victory for now. You caught me of guard and your powers is something I have never seen before. But make no mistake boy. We will fight again one day. And when that time comes, one of us will die".

With that, Mitsurugi walked away. Cassandra ran up and hugged Galen hard, relived he was still alive.

"Galen... thank the gods you're ok" She said with a clear sign of how worried she was.

Galen hugs her back "It's ok Cassandra. I'm fine, nothing some rest won't fix. Come on, let's go home".

Cassandra nods and they walk back to their home, hand in hand as Cassandra refused to let go Galen until they are safely back in their bed room. But there was one thing on Galen's mind.

 _'He was strong... very strong... I need to train more, or I will never defeat Nightmare'_ Galen declared in his head.

His life would soon turn in to a real challenge.

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Insane servant.**

About 3 weeks had passed since Galen's duel with Mitsurugi and the former jedi had been training relentlessly ever since. He needed to get stronger if he was going to have any hope of defeating Nightmare when he finally clash blades with him. Galen did not train alone thought, he had help from both Cassandra and Sophitia, since he could tell if he was getting better or not by sparring with other fighters.

During their training, Sophitia's two children, Patroklos and Pyrrha had joined their training trip to watch them go at it. Safe to say bother were impressed by what they saw.

Galen was currently having match against the two sisters.

Galen jumps in to the air, unleashing a barrage of force pushes in mid-air at the Alexandra Sisters, which they evade by spinning away. After recomposing, the sisters charge at Galen as he lands on the training floor, continuing his barrage. As the sisters split to opposing sides, with Galen focusing his barrage on Sopehitia, they begin their counterattack, with Sophitia dodging and deflecting Galen's strikes while Cassandra takes a swipe at him from behind.

Ducking to avoid Cassandra's strike at the last second, Galen turns and swings at her, only to have Cassandra jump to avoid it as Sophitia lands behind him and retaliates with a heel-kick. Galen blocks the kick with his arm forcing himself back a distance away from the sisters.

Galen quickly grounds herself and sends some lose stones at them, which Sophitia deflects with a her sword and shield. Cassandra quickly closes in on Galen and delivers a couple of swipes that Galen defends against, only to have Sophitia follow up with a series of quick strikes knocking Galen is off his balance. Blocking each attack, Galen quickly throwing a lose branch in response, which Sophitia ducks to avoid. Cassandra swoops in with a downwards slice while Sophitia sweeps Galen's right leg and finishes with a a powerful shield bash that makes contact, launching Galen across the ground.

"YEAH! Get him mom!" Patroklos shouted from his spot, while Pyrrha was clapping.

Galen rolls and quickly regains his footing, before using a force dash to propel him back across the stage and landing a hard kick onto Sophitia's shiled, knocking her down. While Sophitia lies stunned on the floor, Galen confronts Cassandra in close-range blade to blade combat, with Galen strikes becoming faster with each one and Cassandra defending with her sword and shield the best she can. However, Galen overwhelms her with a low kick, not wanting to cause any serious damage to his lover, Galen simply used a force push to send Cassandra of the training stage. The worst she could suffer from that was a sore butt.

"He took out Aunt Cassandra" Pyrrha said in surprise.

Patroklos growls at that "Come on mom! Don't lose to this guy!".

Sophitia finally recovers from Galen's kick just in time to see her sister get flung out of the stage. Galen confronts her by sending off a force push at close-range, which Sophitia again avoids by spinning to the side. After avoiding another attack into the ground, Sophitia retaliates with an upward leg swipe before kicking a galen in the chest, making him back away and took a jump back to gather himself. Both Galen and Sophitia resort to close-range sword combat, with Galen throwing force boosted strikes and blocking with his sword while Sophitia strikes and swipes as she defends with her own sword and her shield. A hard side-kick pushes Galen away as each take a second of reprieve before Sophitia closes in on Galen.

Feinting with her blade to keep Galen off-balanced, Sophitia shifts herself along the stage, forcing Galen to back-step continuously. This leaves Galen unable to ground himself while defending against Sophitia's feints and strikes. A longer series of Strikes from Sophitia allows Galen to finally ground himself, spin to dodge Sophitia's last strike and land a body blow with his left elbow. Galen quickly grabs Sophitia's sword arm and uses it to twist and spin the rest of her body, using the built-up momentum to land a final devastating kick to her legs.

However, Sophitia jumps just in time to avoid the kick. And before Galen could react, he felt Sophitia's crotch slam in to his face, forcing him down and he is slammed in to the floor. He opened his eyes and blushed as he got a quick look of Sophitia's underwear as she stood up and pointed her blade at him.

"And that is another win for the Alexandra sisters" She declared.

Pyrrha cheers "You did it mom!".

"Yeah!" Patroklos cheered along with his sister.

Galen groans, having suffered another humiliating defeat. First a butt slam, now a crotch slam? He was beginning to think that the sisters are famous for using their treasure as weapons.

"Still, you lasted a lot longer than we thought possible in a 2 on 1 fight. And at least you managed to defeat Cassandra this time" Sophitia said as she put her sword and shield away.

"He got lucky" Cassandra grumbled as she dusted of her butt "You are making this up to me later, Galen".

"I know, Cassandra" Galen said as he got up and put his sword away "But this match did show that I still have some training to do if I'm going to defeat Nightmare. Though it worries me. There is no telling when he might show up".

"When and if he shows up, we'll be ready for him. We can defeat him together" Cassandra said with strong determination.

Galen shook his head at that "Nightmare is not like that slave he sent. He is in a league of his own. And far to dangerous for any normal warrior to beat".

"I did before... or at least came close" Sophitia pointed out.

"This is not like your battle with Cervantes, Sophitia. Nightmare is far more powerful than he was back then" Galen said, remembering that Sophitia once told him about her first battle against Soul Edge while it was held by an evil pirate.

"How do you know this?" Cassandra asked.

"I felt his power first hand. It is unlike anything I have faced before. Even the dark side of the force was not that full of that much malice" Galen explained "Soul Edge is not natural. It is the manifestation of evil itself".

"I am well aware of that. But what makes you think you could defeat Nightmare alone?" Sophitia asked.

"I am not sure I can. But I have a better chance than most since my blade his holy" Galen said as he looked at his sword "I forged it to strike out against evil. So I hope this will be enough to put Nightmare down for good".

Sophitia sighed "We will just have to wait and see when the time comes. But for now, you lost the match, so I am ordering you to watch my kids while I'm away".

Galen blinked "Were are you going?".

"I'm going to visit a friend in a neighboring village. The trip is to dangerous for my kids, so I am asking you to guard them" Sophitia explained.

"But why me? Why not just have Cassandra do it?" Galen asked, he liked the kids, but he was not really interested in baby sitting them.

"Because I said so, that's why!" Sophitia said with a glare that only a mother could make.

"Alright! Alright! I'll watch them!" Galen said with his hands up in surrender.

"Good. I will be back in a week, they better not have a scratch on them when I come back, or you will suffer for it" Sophitia warned, her sweet nature replaced with motherly protection.

"Got it" Galen said, not wanting to risk Sophitia's wrath.

"Good. See you in a week" Sophitia said before going to say her goodbyes to her kids.

"Well have fun watching my beloved nephew and nice Galen" Cassandra said as she began to walk away.

"And were are you going?! You could at least help me with this!" Galen snapped.

Cassandra giggled "I am far to busy for that. I have a lot on my to do list. Like soaking the rest of the day in a nice bath".

Galen glared as his girlfriend walked away "So much for helping each other out".

He sighs, well all he had to do was to watch two kids. Can't be that hard, right?.

* * *

"Pyrrha! Get down from there this instant!" Galen called out to Pyrrha who was climbing a tree that was way to high. He was already holding Patroklos under one of his arms who was thrashing around a lot to break free, having been caught going to close to a dangerous river.

"No! I like it up here!" Pyrrha shouted back as she sat on a weak branch.

"Pyrrha, climbing that high on such thin branches is dangerous. If you fall, you could be seriously hurt" Galen did his best to reason with the stubborn girl, but she was testing his patience.

"I will not fall! I clime trees all the time. Look!" Pyrrha argued as she began going further out on the branch.

Galen almost panicked "Pyrrha don't! That's dangerous! You're gonna fall!".

"Am not! Look, I am perfectly fine!" Pyrrha said as she bounced on the branch, but then...

 **CRACK!**

Pyrrha screamed as the branch broke and she was plummeting towards the ground. Galen quickly dropped Patroklos and rushed to catch her. He made it in time and Pyrrha was shaking in his arms while holding on to him for dear life. That was to close. Had Galen only been a second slower, then Pyrrha could have broken her neck.

"That's what I was talking about! You were lucky I was able to catch you or things would have been very bad" Galen said.

"I'm sorry..." Pyrrha said through shaky breaths.

Galen sighs as he rubs her back "I'll forgive you this time. Just don't do something that dangerous again. I promised your mother I would keep you safe. She would never forgive me if something happened to you".

"Ok..." Pyrrha said and Galen chuckled at how innocent she sounded when she was like this.

"Go and play if you want. But don't go far and call for me if something happens" Galen said as he put the little girl down who smiled at him.

"Thank you Uncle Galen!" She said and ran of.

"Uncle Galen?... I can get used to that" Galen mused before looking at the other trouble maker "I hope you learned something from this Patroklos".

The brother crossed his arms "I would never fall down like that".

"Patroklos!" Galen snapped.

"Ok fine! I will be careful" Patroklos said in surrender.

Galen sighs, Patroklos was by far the harder one to look after out of the two siblings. He was insanely rebellious and even arrogant for a kid, believing he could do a lot more than he was capable of, leading him in to putting himself in a lot of danger. Just yesterday Galen had to save him from a pack of predators after he tried hunting them, it was pure luck he was not injured.

"Patroklos, I do believe that one day you could be a strong warrior. I might even train you myself. But until then, don't take unneeded risks" Galen said.

Patroklos perked up at that "You would really train me?".

"As soon as you can hold a sword" Galen promised.

"Yes! Then I will be stronger than you one day!" Patroklos said.

 _'Not in a million years kid'_ Galen thought to himself. But then he felt something that made him freeze. He felt blood lust and sadism, something evil was nearby. It was not Nightmare, it was more crazy.

Patroklos noticed Galen's worried face and grew a little concerned "Uncle Galen...? Are you alright".

"Patroklos. Go back to your Aunt, now!" Galen said as he used the force to retrieve his blade, which had been leaning on a nearby rock "I need to find your sister!".

"Why, what's going on!?" Patroklos demanded.

"Just do what I say!" Galen snapped. Patroklos flinched at his tone, but reluctantly did what he was told.

Galen hurried towards the place he had felt the twisted aura. He knew Pyrrha was over there too. When he arrived he saw Pyrrha sitting on the ground, while backing away from a girl who looked almost like an evil clown with a rather crazy outfit that revealed a lot and she was carrying a Blade Ring. And she had a look of pure insanity in her face. It did not take a force user to know she was dangerous.

"PYRRHA!" Galen shouts and he throws his sword like a deadly boomerang.

The girl noticed it and quickly back-flipped to avoid losing her head. As the sword returned to Galen's hand, he got in front of Pyrrha in a protective manner. The girl looked him over for a few seconds before she smirked evilly.

"Well well well. So we finally meet in person... Galen Marek" She said, her smile never leaving her face.

Galen was shocked that she knew who he was "Who are you? Do I Know you?".

The girl giggled "Why my name is Tira! And no you don't know me... not yet anyway. But you will soon know me very well".

Galen glared "I don't really care who you are. But you need to leave Pyrrha alone".

Tira gave a mock gasp "Oh dear! You're so scary!" She laughs "I'm afraid that is not possible. Her blood line is touched by my great master. And one does not upset the god of death!".

"Nightmare!" Galen said as he got ready to fight.

"BINGO!" Tira said with a mocking applaud "Time to see what this powerful soul he keeps going on about can do!".

"Pyrrha, run!" Galen ordered.

Pyrrha looked at him "But-"

"GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Galen shouts and Pyrrha ran away. Galen glared at Tira "You and your master will not harm them! I will not let you!".

Tira smirked "Good!".

The two stare at one another, Tira with a smile and Galen with a frown. Galen tightens his grip around his sword, and does a simple forward thrust towards Tira's face, which is deflected with a swith move from Tira's ring, causing Galen to stumble back. Tira readies her ring, and the fight begins.

Galen dashes forwards, unleashing a barrage of several slices, resetting each time instead of redirecting his blows, as Tira simply dodges each attack, moving her body swiftly in order to avoid them in a very laid back, but extremely effective style. With every unsuccessful slice, elbow, and kick, Galen continues moving forward as his last three attacks bring him to a knee, where he attempts a roundhouse kick, allowing Tira to deliver a spinning hook kick, knocking Galen to the ground, the former's guard completely open on the left side.

While on the ground, Galen growls in annoyance, to which Tira responds by performing a drop kick. However, Galen dodges by rolling away, and subsequently springing up to attack once again.

Tira counters through a pull in redirection of force technique, using her ring, pulling Galen's arm in with her own left arm, and performing a well-executed ax kick to hit Galen on the chin, before kicking Galen in the stomach with a perfect side kick. Tira then begins pushing Galen back via her ring, now on the offensive, as Galen tries to counter her random and unpredictable movements with His sword.

Tira's offence was wild, using her hands, arms and even hips to spin her ring at insane speed. Tira's style was utterly ridiculous. But effective since Galen could not predict her line of attack.

Tira lasughs as she is able to effortlessly push Galen back against a tree, until the latter shoots a force push directly towards the former's feet. Tira was hit, however, she simply backflips effortlessly, and she lands perfectly on a bloulder, before sitting, waiting for Galen's next attack.

As Galen approaches her, Tira smiles, taunting him, before Galen unleashes another attack. Tira counters, and begins kicking Galen back. Galen unleashes another force push, which Tira avoids. But she had to lean back to avoid Galen's sword wish managed to leave a wound on her cheek.

Tira touched her wound before tasting her own blood. She smirked, a look of pure excitment on her face.

"You are strong! I'm having a lot of fun now! In fact I think I like you" She said in a crazy happy tone.

"You think this is a game!?" Galen demanded.

"Yes! And you are my new favorite play thing!" Tira answered as she rushed in.

The two trade strikes briefly, before Galen grabs Tira's foot, and pulls her closer to throw her, only for Tira to perfectly counter, before grappling Galen and using him momentum to throw to throw him.

Galen hit the ground hard and Tira landed on him "Now for my reward!".

Before Galen could react... Tira kissed him, right on the lips. His eyes shot open and he quickly pushed her of. But Tira landed on her feet, still smiling.

"What the hell was that!?" Galen demanded.

Tira giggled "Nightmare wants your soul. But I think he can wait a little while longer. At least until I get what I want first".

Galen growls before he noticed Cassandra in the distance. Tira noticed too and looked very annoyed.

"Aw and just when we were getting to the good part. But don't worry. We will meet again and the fun has only just begun!" Tira said in a seductive tone before disappearing in to the forest.

"Galen!" Cassandra called out as she rushed up to him "You ok?! Pyrrha and Patroklos just showed up out of nowhere, saying you were in danger".

"I'm fine Cassandra. It was another servant of Nightmare, but this one was deadlier than the others. And she got away" Galen answered.

"She?" Cassandra asked.

"An insane girl with a Blade Ring. Keep an eye out, she might come back" Galen said, leaving out what happened since he did not want to deal with that right now.

Cassandra sighed "Ok... come on, let's go home to the kids".

"Right" Galen agreed and they headed home.

But Galen had a very bad feeling about this and Tira was far from finished with him.

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sickness.**

Nearly a week had passed since Galen's battle with Tira. Ever since then Galen had been trying to figure something out. What was wrong with him? In his sparring match with Cassandra and Sophitia, sure he held back but he should still have won. And in his fight with Tira, he should have been able to take her down quickly. But for some reason his force powers were not doing what he wanted to.

When he tried to do force push, he felt sluggish, allowing them to avoid the force pushes. When he tried to use force speed, it only worked for a short burst and he did achieve the desired result.

Something was wrong with him, it felt like something was blocking his powers... but what could it be?

Galen meditated to see if he could track the source, but every time he tried, he felt great pain which stopped him from going further. But at least he knew it came from inside him.

It was now night time and Galen was sleeping with Cassandra who was mostly naked, only wearing some kind of night skirt that did little to hide her goods, while both her upper body and her legs were fully exposed. As for Galen, he was only wearing simple boxer like shorts.

But Galen was not sleeping calmly, in fact he was in pain. He woke up with sweat going down his face, he looked to his side and saw Cassandra was still sleeping. Galen sighed and slowly got out of bed, being careful so that he would not disturb his lover.

He walked outside to the small pond they used to freshen up in. He splashed the cold water in his face before he touched his side when he felt a small ache. He then let out some coughs. This was not new for him. It started a while ago. At first he thought it was just a common sickness that would go away with time. But instead it got worse and worse... he was trying to figure out just when it started.

Galen was brought out of his thoughts when he felt arms around him and the bare breasts of his lover pressing in to his back "Cassandra... you shouldn't be up. It's late".

"Like you're one to talk. I woke up when I could not feel your heat anymore... what's wrong?" Cassandra asked.

"I'm fine, just needed some freshen up" Galen said.

"I heard you coughing. You are sick" Cassandra pointed out "You need to see a healer".

Galen turned around and put his hands on Cassandra's shoulders "Don't worry so much Cassandra. If I find out that something really is wrong with me, I will find a way to fix it".

Cassandra did not look satisfied with that answer but sighed "Fine, don't tell me. Just try to get back to bed soon".

Cassandra walked back inside, leaving Galen to his thoughts. Galen let out a lone cough before looking at his side... and saw a glowing mark on his left side... what is this!?

* * *

The next day, Galen had walked out in the forest. He needed some time alone so he could focus on the task at hand. He sat on a rock and began to meditate. The pain from before came back, but this time he powered through it and focused... then he felt it. A dark presence inside him... it was not the force, but something else... it felt like...

Before he could finish his thoughts, he heard growling and hissing sounds. Galen looked up and saw some kind of lizard people. Galen had read about these things from a book he found that was written by Edge Master.

Lizardmen are half-human, half-beast creatures created from human experiments. They don't retain much memories of their human lives, becoming mere servants for the priests to order around.

Galen got up and took out his sword "If there is any sense of reason left in your minds. Walk away and I will allow you to live" The Lizards only growled and snarled as they readied their weapons "I warned you".

One attacked him and Galen blocked it's strike before kicking it away. He avoided another strike and hit it's shield with his sword, making it stumble back, Galen then jumped and delivered a kick to the lizard's face that sent rolling across the ground. Galen jumped back and was about to use force wave to get rid of them. But when he tried he felt a sharp pain through his body.

"Dammit! Not now!" Galen growled out, whatever was inside him was really messing with his powers.

Taking advantage of his state, one lizard rammed him with his shield. Galen was sent across the ground. The lizards began pilling up on him, trying to rip him apart... but in that moment Galen heard a voice inside him.

 **"Pathetic. These creatures should not even be a decent warm up for you".**

Galen was still fighting of the lizards, wondering what that voice could be... and why did it sound like his own voice?

 **"You have the power but refuse to use it. It is time you remember who you are. Let your powers unleash!".**

Galen's eyes began to glow... then the lizards was sent flying but a force repulse. The rest looked at Galen as he stood up... with dark glowing aura around him.

"I will show you my power!" Galen said in a dark voice before he let out a battle cry.

As Galen reaches the center of the courtyard a storm slowly starts to form around him thanks to his power. The lizard creatures start to run around him and form a circle around Galen. Galen surveys his opponents as they circle him and the one behind him decides to pounce. Galen turns around and swiftly impales it on his blade, which was lacking it usual glow. As life fades from the lizard's eyes, two more slowly approach Galen from behind and charge him. Galen, however, manages to avoid the first one by performing a high flip in order to decapitate it. As he is in the air he hits a tree branch with his feet and uses it to propel himself to the second Lizard but stops himself right in front of it, he looks in to it's eyes before he stabs it through the heart and uses it to propel himself back to the boulder he meditated on before the fight.

Galen spins his sword in his hand and draws lightning across his sword to incinerate three approaching Lizards which turned them in to ash. Pleased with himself, Galen admires his weapon but more Lizards come out, much to his annoyance. Galen growls as he starts loosing his composure before using a force leap to propel himself toward one of his approaching foes. The Lizard tries to attack but is swiftly bisected. Another approaches Galen but he stabs it six times in rapid fashion before he turns his attention to the next one whose right arm he cuts off, swiftly followed by its left and finally its head, all through twirling motions.

Galen proceeds to dismember six more by charging and bisecting the first one that charges at him, bisecting the second one that charges at him by using the force that has enough force to send him several meters up in the air, bisecting the third one by using a using a force throw and throws his blade toward it, which cut of it's head. He then proceeds to severing the arm of the fourth one and killing the last two through decapitation and bisection. The fourth one recoils from the loss of its arm, and Galen finishes by speeding himself up with the force and stabbing it in the chest. He throws his sword into another Lizard that approaches him before picking it up midair and using the force to rip pieces up from the ground, which five more lizards impale themselves on the sharp rocks.

With all the lizards dead, Galen fell to his knees, the aura vanished as he was breathing hard. He looked around in shock and horror.

"Did... did I do all of this?... What the hell is going on!?" Galen asked out loud.

* * *

Elsewhere Nightmare looked at Soul Edge as he had felt something. He let out a dark laughter when he realized what it was **"I see... the dark seed I planted in his soul has finally began to grow. Soon Galen Marek, you will give in to the darkness. And your soul be mine forever!".**

With that, Nightmare let out a loud evil laugh that echoed through the whole area.

* * *

Back with Galen he had just finished explaining the situation to Cassandra. About his battle with the Lizardmen and the dark power he used to kill them. Cassandra was silent, trying to understand what as going on "So... that is the reason why you have been sick all this time?".

Galen nods "And the reason why my powers has been a lot weaker too. When I faced the first servant Nightmare sent after me, while it looked like I finished him easy and without a scratch... truth is, I felt that something sharp in my side which felt like a quick stab. I did not feel anything afterwards and I could not find anything in the small wound so I did not give it much thought. But since that day I have felt myself growing weaker and like the force is slowly being cut away from me".

"Is there anyway to remove it? Or at least stop it?" Cassandra asked.

Galen closed his eyes "I am afraid there is only one way to stop it... Nightmare must be destroyed".

"You're leaving..." Cassandra said, looking down.

Galen put a hand on her back "Cassandra, I know I promised to stay and I meant it. But-".

"You don't need to explain anything Galen" Cassandra interrupted "I made you stay once and look what happened. It is clear now that Nightmare is a problem that will not go away. And if he is the only thing standing between us and a happy life... then do what you must".

"Cassandra..." Galen whispered.

"Just promise me! Promise me you will come back to me!" Cassandra said as she grabbed Galen's hand and put it on her belly "Come back to us".

"Us?" Galen asked before he got wide eyes "Cassandra... you are...".

Cassandra looked down "I found out last night. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner but-".

"Cassandra" Galen interrupted her by pulling her in to a hug "It's my fault. For not giving you a chance to bring it up. But I promise I will be back and we will have a happy life together".

Cassandra smiled with tears in her eyes "You better come back. Or I'm going to be really mad".

Galen chuckled "I have seen you mad, I do not wish to feel your wrath again".

"I love you Galen" Cassandra said as she looked in his eyes.

Galen rubbed her cheek "And I love you too, Cassandra".

With that they shared a loving kiss. The last one they would have in a while.

The true journey was about to begin. One that would decide Galen's fate as it was not connected to the fate of the two blades.

 **.**

 **There you have it. That is the reason as to why Galen has seemed rather weak.**

 **And before any of you Star Wars super fans say anything like: But only this or this can weaken a force user. Yes... In the STAR WARS UNIVERSE! But remember, Galen in not in the Star Wars universe anymore and Soul Calibur don't follow the same rules as Star Wars, so please don't bring any of that up.**

 **Ok, now that I got that out of the way, tell me what you think.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A journey for Destiny.**

It was now time... time for Galen to leave on his trip to find Nightmare and end the suffering he has wrought on others. For obvious reasons, Cassandra was not happy about this, but she had accepted that this was something Galen needed to do. Or else they could never live in peace. But Galen was ready, he had a reason to fight now... or rather two reasons. Last night he found out that Cassandra was pregnant with his child, so he would be sure to survive and return to see his child's birth. Noway he was going to miss something like that.

He had just finished putting on his gear and gather everything he would need for the long trip. He looked at Cassandra who was still asleep. It hurt having to do this, but he had to leave before she woke up, he just could not bare to see her face if he says goodbye. He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"I love you, Cassandra... Just wait for me. I promise I will come back" Galen said before he walked out the door. As he was about to leave the area a voice stopped him.

"Galen wait" Galen looked and saw Sophitia walk up to him "You're leaving so soon? Are you sure you don't want to wait a little longer until you are more rested?".

"The longer I wait, the worse things are gonna get. Nightmare needs to be stopped as soon as possible. Only then can I finally rest" Galen said.

Sophitia was silent for a moment "You don't have to leave, Galen. You should stay here with Cassandra. I can go and destroy Soul Edge instead".

"Absolutely not, Sophitia. You have a husband and two children, not to mention Cassandra is going to need you now, more than ever. You will stay here and protect them incase more of Nightmare's servants shows up" Galen said, refusing Sophitia's offer.

"But Cassandra needs you too!" Sophitia argued.

"Not as much as she needs you! I know you went after Soul Edge once and it almost killed you. And I also know you have rather little battle experience. You spent most of your life avoiding violence, to live a peaceful and happy life. I have been trained since I was a child and I have faced all kinds of people and monsters through the years. I am the only one here who should go after Nightmare. I made my sword specifically for that purpose" Galen declared, his voice leaving no room for arguments.

Sophitia looked down before she sighed "I knew I could not stop you. But I had to try. If you insist on going after Nightmare, then you might need this".

Galen blinked as Sophitia held up a small glowing red stone, or at least it looked like one until he felt an familiar evil from it "That's...".

"A shard from Soul Edge. My husband brought it home a few days ago. Maybe you can use it to track down what it came from. Soul Edge" Sophitia said.

Galen took the shard and studied it before looking at Sophitia "I can sense it inside you too. I have sensed it ever since I first met you. But I did not say anything about it cause I figured it was personal".

Sophitia sighed "I had a feeling you would... did Cassandra ever told you what happened to me?".

"She never went in to details" Galen said "I only know you were injured during a battle with some kind of pirate called Cervantes".

"Do you have time for the full story?" Sophitia asked.

Glane sat on a rock "Very well. Don't take to long".

Sophitia nods and sat down as well "Well I guess I should start by telling you more about me and my family. Our past and what we had to go through".

Galen remained silent as he listened to her story. He needed to know just what kind of connection Sophitia has to all this, and he needed the full details. It could either help him on his quest or at least give him even more motivation to do this. The stronger his resolve gets, the bigger chance he would have to come back alive.

"I have lived in Athens with my family, as a part of the Ottoman Empire. My father was a baker, so I worked at my family bakery. I have always treasured my country's culture and prayed often to the city guardian, Athena, the goddess of wisdom. But one day, as I bathed in a forest spring, a bright light appeared and took the shape of a man. He revealed to me that he was the Olympian god of fire and forge Hephaestus and told me of the evil sword Soul Edge. The existence of such a powerful blade would put shame to his name, as he had not created it, and that if anyone were to discover it, it would bring much pain to the world. Hephaestus ordered me to come to the Eurydice Shrine and receive a holy weapon, the Omega Sword, so that I could destroy Soul Edge. At first, I was reluctant to take the holy mission; as I told Hephaestus, I was but a baker's daughter. However, Hephaestus insisted I could achieve the goal, and I relented. Upon gaining my equipment, I ventured forward. I did eventually track down Soul Edge in a port in Valencia, Spain, and I fought its wielder, the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon. The battle was hard but I managed to destroy one of the twin blades. However, shards of the evil sword flew with great force from my blow, wounding me too greatly to finish the fight. Just as Cervantes was about to deliver a finishing blow, a mysterious female ninja, saved me and proceeded to kill the evil pirate. After the battle had finished, she carried me on her back to my home here in Athens, where my sister, had been waiting for me. Cassandra was the only person to believe my story at the time" Sophitia explained.

"I take there is more to it" Galen assumed.

Sophitia nods and moved her clothing on he chest aside to reveal a scar "When the sword shattered, a shard ended up in my chest. It was to close to my heart, so there was no way of removing it without killing me. I have lived with it ever since".

Galen let all this sink in until he had to ask "All this happened before you have birth to Pyrrha and Patroklos?".

Sophitia nods "Yes... and now I fear since I have the shard, my blood line has been cursed... meaning that Nightmare might come for my children".

"I will not let that happen Sophitia. But this is all the more reason why you need to stay. To protect your family" Galen said.

"I will... but you need to promise that you will come back, Galen. Cassandra would be devastated if you died and left her as a single mother" Sophitia said "No mother wants their children to grow up without a father".

"I promise I will come back" Galen said as he stood up "I will destroy Nightmare and we can all live together happily. As a family".

Sophitia gave him a warm smile "Then may the gods watch over you and let the light guide you home".

Galen smiled as he as Sophitia shared a family hug. Sophitia was so warm and her aura was something only a truly good person could have. Cassandra sure was lucky to have this woman as her sister.

With that, they pulled apart and Galen began his long and unforgiving travel. Sophitia watched him go. She even remained on the spot long after Galen was out of view. She soon heard footsteps behind her and knew right away who it was.

"I knew you would show up, Cassandra" Sophitia said as she turned her head to look at her sister.

"So he's gone then?" Cassandra asked, already knowing the answer.

"He let about half an hour ago" Sophitia confirmed.

"Not even saying goodbye..." Cassandra said, her voice low.

Sophitia put an arm around her sister's shoulders "Saying goodbye would hurt both of you even more. Besides if he said goodbye, then he wouldn't truly believe he was coming back. So this way, it means he will be back".

"I know... just wished for one more kiss before he left" Cassandra said with a small blush.

"I can give you one if you want" Sophitia teased.

"Sophitia! Don't say stuff like that! It's embarrassing!" Cassandra whined childishly.

Sophitia giggled at how cute her sister looked when she did that "But I mean it Cassandra. Galen will come back. He made a promise a true man never goes back on his word".

Cassandra smiled. Her older sister was right. Galen gave them his word and no way he would go back on it.

* * *

Galen had been traveling for a whole day already, wearing a hooded cloak over himself. The shard Sophitia gave him was helping, but he was not able to pin point just where Nightmare was. He needed to be pointed in the right direction. He entered a town and walked in to a bar. He ordered an drink and began listening to the people. Most of them were talking about stuff that was of no use to Galen. He was about to move on until one man caught his interest.

"Hey, you heard about that magical sword?" The man asked his drinking friend.

"That old myth? People have been looking for it for years now. Nothing but a rumor" His friend said.

"What if I told you the myth was real?" The man asked.

His friend looked at him "What?".

"Yes. Saw it with my own eyes. Some big dark armored knight, wielding a giant sword. He slaughtered a whole group of really big men like they were nothing. I'm telling ya. I have never been so scared in my life" The man said.

"Wow... that does sound scary" His friend said.

Galen walked up to their table "Where did you see this?".

The man looked at him "Why do you want to know?".

"I am a curious man" Galen answered simply. He needed info and he needed it now.

The man noticed his sword "You're looking for a fight with that thing? Or do you want his magical sword?".

"That is irrelevant. Just tell me where you saw him" Galen said, even holding up a small bag of coins "I'll even pay you for this information".

The man smiled and took the bag "Well in that case. I saw him a few miles north of here. A day's walk at most".

"Thank you. I'll let you enjoy your drinks" Galen said as he headed for the door, he stopped and glanced around as he felt like he was being watched. He saw nothing and decided to leave.

But unknown to him, a cloaked woman had been watching him from the corner of the room, ever since he stepped inside. She could feel something was of about him and she had a pretty good idea what is was, still she had to be sure and she knew how to do check if she was right or not.

She put her drink down before placing a few coins on the table and followed him.

* * *

Galen walked out of the town and on to a large bridge. He finally had a decent lead and he was not going to waste it. Even if Nightmare was not there anymore, studying one of his battle grounds may provide him with a lead to follow. A creature of such power is bound to leave some dark energy behind. Galen was halfway across the bridge until he stopped and quickly ducked as something long and sharp passed over his head.

The moment the object pulled back, Galen back flipped away and grabbed his sword "Who are you!?".

It was a woman. She was wearing a very revealing costume, with a massive amount cleavage and her thighs and hips exposed, despite wearing high boots and long gloves. In short, her outfit left nothing for the imagination and Galen had to fight back a blush.

"My name is Ivy. And I seek to kill people like you" The woman named Ivy said as she swung her whip like blade and and struck it across the bridge in a dominatrix style.

"People like me? What have I done? I don't even know you" Galen said.

"You are an malfested. I can sense it in you. You are touched by his evil. I'm sorry but I can not allow you to live" Ivy said.

"Malfested... wait you are talking about Nightmare?" Galen asked.

Ivy nods "Yes. I swore to kill all who are connected to him".

"I do not serve Nightmare. I seek to destroy him too. Maybe we can even work together" Galen offered.

"No! This is something I need to do on my own. Besides everything that is touched by him is doomed" Ivy looked at her hand that was shaking with rage "They will be corrupted, turned in to monsters, monsters who will kill everything around them. The only way to free them, is to put them out of their misery".

Galen could feel the spite coming of the woman... but the spite was not just aimed at him... he could feel a lot of self loathing inside of her "It doesn't have to be that way".

"Yes it does. I never wanted any of this. But there is no other way. Now prepare yourself!" Ivy said as she swung her whip blade.

Galen avoided the attack and pulled out his sword "You give me no choice".

Ivy swung her whip blade several times. Galen managed to avoid most of them and blocked the last one. Ivy jumps forwards and strikes at Galen. Ivy slashes at him a number of times with her weapon before changing the sword into whip form. Galen brings up his sword and they clash. The two fighters exchange blows and Galen punches Ivy in the head before hitting her a number of kicks. Galen then kicks Ivy into a nearby wooden pillar, shattering it.

"You're tough, young man. But you're in need of some discipline!" Ivy said.

"And you need to learn some modesty" Galen shot back.

Ivy extends her sword and sends it towards Galen, who catches it and pulls Ivy towards him. Galen threw Ivy into the air before pulling her down with his force grip. But by doing that Galen felt pain as the dark power from before began to spark.

Ivy stands up and coils the snake sword around Galen's throat. "Does it hurt?" She then noticed his eyes turning red for only a second "I knew it! You are one of them! Now I will clench the world of you and your kind! And then I will hunt down and destroy Nightmare once and for all!".

Ivy then throws Galen into the bridge. He flips on to his feet and shook his head. Every time he tried to call on the force, the darkness grew stronger. Looks like he had to do this the old fashioned way.

Galen charges in close, he throws an upwards slice with his blade, that Ivy barely blocked. Galen then brings a kick down on Ivy's head, knocking her down. Galen then managed to trap one of her arms and uses his free hand to force her head in to the railing of the bridge. Ivy hissed before pushing of with her leg and then she suddenly began to glow. Galen found himself forced back before being blasted by Ivy's powers, sending him to the ground.

Ivy puts her foot on his chest "Had enough yet?".

Galen suddenly kicks her off him "Yes! I've had enough!".

Ivy sends her whip forward, but Galen was ready this time and mane it wrap around his sword and then stabbed his sword in to the bridge, trapping Ivy's weapon.

"No!" Was all Ivy got out before Galen managed to grab the openings between the sharp ends of her whip.

Galen pulled her close and gave her a hard knee to the gut, knocking the wind out of her. Galen proceeded to grab her arm, put a hand on her belly and then threw her of the bridge and in to the raging water below.

Galen took a moment to catch his breath before freeing his sword and put it away. He even walked over to the edge and looked down to see if she would try to climb back up. But she was gone.

 _'She was strong... And with my force powers being constantly hampered by this damn curse, it made it even more of a pain to fight her. But she is misguided. Slaughtering people will not erase nightmare. If anything it will make him even more dangerous, given all the souls he will be able to collect. I need to find him and kill him before it's to late'_ And with that, Galen continued his hunt.

* * *

Elsewhere Nightmare had been able to feel what was going on and he let out a dark chuckle **"So you are hunting me now are you? Very well, I will not hide, I will wait for you to arrive. But I will make sure that you will face many trials on the way. And when we finally meet face to face. Your soul will finally be mine!"**

Nightmare laughed loudly. But as he did, he made sure to let all his servants know about this. Tira was one of them and she was more than happy to know that Galen was now alone. Now she could finally have him for herself.

Oh yes this was going to be a lot of fun!

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A familiar and a new face.**

Some time had passed since Galen's not to friendly meeting with Ivy and he was back on his journey again. He was heading towards the place Nightmare was last sighted, hoping he could pick up a trail that would lead him to the demon. As he walked he had his hood up and made sure to be on his guard in case Ivy finds him again, or anyone else who shares her desire to wipe out everything and anyone even remotely connected to Soul Edge. Galen sighed, he never wanted any of this, but like always destiny keeps forcing these things on him.

He reached a river and decided to get a drink and refill his water bottle. When he was done, he could sense others were nearby. He put a hand on his sword while glancing around. He felt the person was behind him and quickly pulled his sword, only to have it blocked by a staff. Galen ended up trading a few strikes with the person before both threw a kick that sent the other back.

Galen looked up, ready to continue until he got wide eyes when he noticed who it was "Kilik?".

Said staff warrior got wide eyes too "Galen?".

Galen removed his hood to show it was indeed him. They stood in silence for a moment before both smiled and shared a friendly handshake.

"Got to say, nice to see an familiar face out here. It's an welcoming break from the rough time" Galen said with a smile.

"Same here! It's really good to see you again Galen" Kilik said with a smile of his own.

"Kilik! What's going on?" Came an female voice.

Galen looked and saw a young woman with brown hair and a rather colorful outfit. She looked pretty cute and friendly. Though the fencing sword she was carrying showed she was no helpless girl.

Kilik smiled "Galen, meet my companion, Xianghua. Xianghua, this is Galen".

Galen gave a small bow "Pleasure to meet you, Xianghua".

Xianghua gave a small bow of her own "Likewise, Galen".

"So Galen, what are you doing out here?" Kilik asked.

"I am tracking Soul Edge. And the one who holds it, Nightmare" Galen answered.

When he said that, both Kilik and Xianghua shared surprised looks before Kilik spoke up "That's an interesting coincidence. So are we".

Galen narrowed his eyes "Well, that makes things easier".

"Do you know where he is?" Xianghua asked.

"No... but I think I know how to find him" Galen said as he took out something from his pocket and held it up.

Kilik got wide eyes "Is that?".

Galen nods "A shard from Soul Edge. Been using it to help me track Nightmare. But I have to be careful, even this tiny shard is full of his poisonous power and could trigger something bad if I use it to much. A thin line between being myself or something else".

"You are taking a big risk even holding that thing" Xianghua said.

"I know, but it's all we have to track Nightmare. Without it, finding him could take more time than we have" Galen said.

Kilik sighed "Very well, I guess I will trust you on this. For now. Will you allow us to travel with you?".

Galen nods "Could use the help since Nightmare and his minions are not the only threat out here. People that hunts those touched by Nightmare's evil are sure to attack us. Already ran in to one of them, and she was dead set on killing me, even though I was not under Nightmare's control".

"We'll be on our guard. Any idea where to start?" Kilik asked.

"Yes. I know where he was last seen. If we check it out, maybe we can find a trail to follow" Galen answered.

Kilik motions for him to get going "Lead the way".

Galen began to walk as Xianghua whispers to Kilik "You sure we can trust him?".

"I met him before, he is not evil. And we don't have much of a choice, we need to find Nightmare as quickly as possible. And right now Galen is our best chance of doing this" Kilik answered.

"If you say so" Xianghua said as they finally follows Galen.

They finally reached an area where they saw several torn trees, cracks in the ground... and they could still smell some blood in the air.

"No doubt about it. There was a battle here... and a really brutal one" Kilik said.

"I can sense traces of Nightmare's power... he was here" Galen said as he felt the remains of an evil aura.

"How do you sense these things?" Xianghua asked.

"I will explain when I can... maybe when we set up camp" Galen said as he walked in to the middle of the area "We got a trail. Now we just need to know where it leads".

Galen took out the shard. He took a deep breath before he began to focus. Kilik and Xianghua watched as red aura began to surround Galen. Xianghua grabbed her sword just in case, but Kilik put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

The aura vanished and Galen began breathing hard, like he had been trying to wrestle a bear. Kilik walked up to him "You ok?".

"That was very painful. But I know which direction Nightmare headed. He went North" Galen said as he put the shard away.

"Then that's where we're heading too" Kilik declared.

With that, they continued on their journey.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tira had just killed several people for her master. A woman tried to crawl away as Tira walked towards her "Please no... I have kids!".

Tira smiled as she stroke the woman's cheek "Don't worry, I will be sure to give them your regards".

"No! Please! PLEA-" The woman could not finish as Tira kissed her... and after a few moments the woman's body went motionless as she died from the kiss.

Tira stood up with a smile "Not a bad kiss. But I prefer the lips of that handsome young man" She looked at the sky "I want to find him so bad! If a kiss was enough to make me this crazy for him, just imagine what the rest of him could do!".

Tira giggled as she fantasized about all the things she would do to Galen the moment she has him at her mercy. She licked her lips and made her mind up. Next time she finds Galen, she would go all the way. Next time she would claim what she wanted. She was shaking in excitement from the mere thoughts of the fun they would have, it was getting very hard to wait.

"I will find you! And when I do, you will be mine!" Tira said as she let out an insane laugh.

* * *

Back with the gang, they had set up camp and was resting for the night. Galen however did not sleep well as he could feel the evil power, tempting him to give in and turn in to that beast that killed all those lizard men. Galen woke up early and groans from the rough night. He got up and walked away from Kilik and Xianghua to gather his thoughts.

When he was alone he began thinking about everything... but mostly he was thinking of Cassandra and... his unborn child... he hoped they were doing well... though they had Sophitia looking out for them so he was not to worried. Still he was concerned since he could not shake the fear of that Nightmare would send more of his slaves after them. And while Sophitia is more than able to defend herself in a fight, Cassandra was practically defenseless since she could not risk exerting herself while being pregnant.

Galen sighs, this would be so much easier if he could just contact her and make sure she is ok. Sometimes he really missed the technology from his old life, where he could just turn on a hologram and speak to someone directly. But all he could do now was to hope that Cassandra would be ok long enough for him to make it back... and make sure he stays alive long enough to see his child be born.

"Galen" The voice of Kilik snapped him out of his thoughts "Something bothering you?".

"Just thinking about my home" Galen said with a small sigh.

Kilik nods in understanding "Something waiting for you back home? Or maybe someone? A woman?".

"Yes... she is pregnant with my child" Galen answered.

"Oh! Well then you better make it home. I have a feeling she would not forgive you if you missed the birth" Kilik said with a smile.

"She would never forgive that. But time is not really the problem since she's not that far along yet... the problem is to survive long enough to make it home" Galen said as he looked at his blade "I forged my blade to kill Nightmare. But there is not guarantee that I will be able to do that... and even if I pull it of, I might end up dying anyway".

Kilik put a hand on his shoulder "You will make it. Me and Xianghua will make sure of that. We the three of us together, I am sure we can defeat Nightmare".

Galen smiled a little at that "Thank you Kilik. I needed that".

"We are friends now, Galen. And friends helps each other out" Kilik said with a smile.

"Yeah... Kilik, I need to ask you for a favor" Galen said.

"And that is?" Kilik asked.

"Fight me" Galen said.

Kilik blinked "Excuse me?".

"I want you to fight me" Galen repeated.

"Why?" Kilik asked.

"I am fully aware of what this shard can do to me... I need to test your skills first hand, so I can be sure you will be able to stop me, should I ever turn to the darkness" Galen answered, meaning every word.

Kilik thought it over before nodding and stepped back, spinning his staff in his hand "Very well. I will show you that you can count on me".

"Thank you" Galen said as he took out his sword and got ready.

Galen and Kilik swing their weapons at each other, but both fighters block every strike. Soon, Galen backflips into the air and propels himself past Kilik. As he flies past him, Galen finally lands a hit, so he uses this tactic three more times. However, on the third time, Kilik swings his staff to block and strikes at Galen. Right before the strike connects, Galen dodged and performed a backflip. As he begins to turn upright in the air, Kilik swings at him again, but Galen blocks with his katana and lands on his feet.

Kilik moves in close and attempts to punch Galen in the face, but he ducks just before it connects. As soon as he is back on her feet, Galen slashes at Kilik again, but once again, his attacks are blocked. Then, he swings his katana at Kilik, but he hooks the blade with his staff, trapping it. As Galen tries to pull it free, he leaves an opening for Kilik to hit him in the side. As Galen is recovering, Kilik swings his staff upward, striking Galen in the chin hard enough to cause him to lean back. While Galen straightens his posture, Kilik spins around, and slams his staff into the side of his face, causing Galen to turn around 180 degrees. He stumbles and turns around to strike back, only to be hit once again and knocked to the ground.

Without missing a beat, Galen quickly jumped back to his feet and ran back and began performing several swift strikes. He was still weakened form the curse, but he was still fast enough to perform several speed strikes. However, despite with the rapid rate of strikes, Kilik manages to deflect them all, forcing Galen to change up his offence. Suddenly, Galen jumps back before dashing back into the fight and hits Kilik hard enough to knock him backward onto his back.

Kilik spun around on his hand before leaping back on to his feet. Still ready to continue.

Xianghua was watching from the sidelines. She heard the reason for this fight. Galen was aware of the danger inside that shard, so he wanted Kilik to stop him, should it ever be needed... Xianghua did not trust him at first since she didn't know him... but now she had a feeling Galen could be trusted.

She hoped she was right on that.

* * *

Back with Cassandra, she stood at her window, while praying to the gods. Praying that Galen would be safe and that he would come back to her and help raise their child.

"You've been praying for over an hour now Cassandra" Sophitia said as she walked up behind her "You need to rest".

"Sorry sis... hard to relax as long as Galen is out there, hunting a demon" Cassandra said in a sad tone.

Sophitia hugs her sister from behind "He will be back Cassandra. I know it".

Cassandra sighs "You're right. He made me a promise after all".

Sophitia kissed Cassandra on the cheek "Come on. Let's get you back to bed".

When Cassandra laid down on the bed, she finally noticed how tired she was. She could feel herself relaxing at her sister's gentle treatment as she rubbed Cassandra's cheek and kissed her forehead. There was one last thing going through Cassandra's head before she drifted of to sleep...

 _'Galen... please be safe'._

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	12. Chapter 12

**First Nightmare.**

A whole day had already passed since Galen and Kilik had their spar. It lasted for nearly a whole hour and it ended in a draw. And while Galen knew that if he still had full access to his powers, he could have defeated Kilik pretty quickly, but like always, the dark seed in him blocks most of his powers so he could not use them without risking being consumed by the evil power again so he had to fight Kilik with nothing but his sword skills. But during the fight, Galen could sense there was more to Kilik that meets the eye. Galen had a feeling he was not the only one holding back darkness, but decided to table that for another time.

They were back on their hunt for nightmare, the walk for silent until Xianghua decided to break it "So, Galen. Mind telling us about yourself?".

"What would you like to know?" Galen asked.

"Things you like, things you hate, any hobbies?" Xianghua listed.

Galen thought about it "Well I enjoy meditating, silence and peaceful walks. Though I must admit I do enjoy a good hunt from time to time".

Xianghua nodded, they were of to a good start "So what do you not like?".

"There are plenty of things I don't like. Liars, people who betray the ones who trust them, needless death... and any type of evil" Galen said with a face that said he had experienced all those things.

Kilik and Xianghua shared a look before Kilik spoke "Where are you from?".

"Nowhere special. I was born in a forest. My mother died when I was very young and my father was killed right in front of me when my village was destroyed" Galen answered, he could not tell them the full truth, but he knew for a fact that a white lie is always more belivible if you mix some truth in it.

Xianghua gasped and Kilik had a grim look at that. Xianghua was the one to speak "I'm sorry to hear that Galen. Going through that as such a young age...".

"It's ok... I had to move on at some point" Galen said, making it clear he did not want to discuss it any further.

Xianghua and Kilik took the hint and they continued on in silence. Night soon arrived and they made camp. Galen caught some birds for them to eat and soon they decided to get some sleep. However Galen had trouble sleeping. He kept dreaming about Cassandra and his unborn child being killed by Nightmare as their home burnt. These dreams would wake Galen up several times before he sighed and gave up on trying to sleep.

He got up and decided to go for a walk. He made sure to be quiet, not to disturb his friends. Unknown to him, one of them did notice him leaving. Galen walked to a nearby river and splashed some cold water in his face. He looked at his reflection. He could barelly even recognise himself anymore. So much had changed in such a short time.

"You ok?" Galen looked and was rather surprised that Xianghua was the one to come check on him.

"I've been better I admit. But I am as good as I'm gonna get" Galen said.

"Mind if I sit down?" Xianghua asked.

"Not at all" Galen answered.

Xianghua sat down next to him. They sat in silence for a few moments until the fencer broke it "How was they?".

Galen looked at her "Who?".

"Your parents. Where they good?" Xianghua asked.

Confused of why she would ask that, Galen decided to answer anyway "I don't have many memories of them. Least of all of my mother. I do remember her being a very warm and caring mother. My father... I have more memories of him since he lived long enough for me to get to know him. He was always good to me and made it clear he never wanted this life for me. But we lost our chance of a good father and son life when our village was destroyed".

"Who did it? Who destroyed your village?" Xianghua asked.

Galen closed his eyes and remained silent for several moments before he sighed, guess there was no harm in telling her some of it "A Dark Lord named Darth Vader was hunting my father and tracked him to our village... he along with his soldiers burnt it all down. My father tried to fight him but lost. Vader was to powerful for him".

Xianghua was silent for a moment before she asked "Did you ever get revenge on Vader?".

"I wanted to... trust me I wanted to kill him so badly... but that is not what my father would have wanted. I walk the path of justice, not vengeance" Galen answered.

Xianghua could not help but to smile at that "That sounds like a worthy path to walk".

"I like to think so... what about you Xianghua? How did you become who you are now?" Galen asked.

Xianghua was silent for a moment, she wasn't sure if she should tell him given the nature of her past. But since he told her so much about his own painful past, it would be rude to not do the same. She sighed and began to explain "My ancestors, the Chai family, have groomed men and women alike into seasoned warriors of China for many generations. The Chai family was born in the heritage of General Ming. The woman who would become my mother, Xiangfei, was sent to the prestigious Ling-Sheng Su Temple to learn the art of swordplay. She diligently trained and became supremely skilled with the jian, surpassing many of the monks at the temple".

Safe to say Galen was impressed, and surprised that both their mothers were warriors "Sounds like a mother to look up to".

"Depends on how you look at it. Following her father's passing, my mother forged a forbidden romance with a monk at the temple, Kong Xiuqiang, thought to be the most prominent candidate for inheritor of the holy bo staff, Kali-Yuga. Not until the illegitimate birth of their first daughter, Xianglian, my sister, was their love made known to the other monks. The monks remained very strict regarding the temple's edicts and Xianglian was taken from our parents on her second birthday" Xianghua explained.

Galen nodded at that, knowing that romance was not allowed in the jedi order either, that is the main reason his parents left the order so they could prusue their love, free from the jedi rules.

"My mother became too wrought with grief to remain at the temple. Han Dongxiu, a sworn brother of both Xiuqiang and Xiangfei, urged Xiuqiang to leave with her and start a family with his lover, but Xiuqiang refused, and Xiangfei agreed that it was for the best. But as a final goodbye, Dongxiu helped Xiuqiang sneak the Krita-Yuga to his lover, to serve as a promise the two would one day meet again" Xianghua continued.

"But I guess there is more to it all than what they realized" Galen guessed.

Xianghua nodded "Unknown to Xiuqiang, was that when my mother had left the temple, she was pregnant with a second child. Me. She secretly returned to her homeland, was taken in by the Chai home there, and became a soldier in the Ming Dynasty Imperial Guard. Months later, she gave birth to me, her second daughter, but never revealed anything about the my father or his lineage to me".

Galen continued to listen, Xianghua trully had an fashinating past. But he had a bad feeling tragedy struck her at some point.

"By this time, the temple had realized that the Krita-Yuga was missing, and found that Xiuqiang had stolen it. He was exiled from the temple, but Xianglian was to remain there to be trained as an orphan. Xiuqiang eventually discovered my mother's whereabouts, but the Chai family asked him to leave her alone, as she believed that he was training and she would be happier in her ignorance. Meanwhile, when monks from the Temple came to my mother, searching for the missing sword, all they found was the young me playing with a battered jian, and they gave up the search years later. Only Xiuqiang had known that the jian I had been holding was actually the Krita-Yuga in disguise" Xianghua explained.

 _'That is some loyalty'_ Galen thought as he listened to the rest of her tale.

"As time passed, I had learned to use the jian just as well as my mother after she died sometime after my eleventh birthday. Five years afterward, I became a member of the Imperial Guard" Xianghua finished.

Galen allowed the story to sink in, Xianghua and him were a lot alike in terms of how they came to be, but very different in how they grew up. Still Galen could feel some kindred spirit between them. But he had to ask "What about you and Kilik?".

"Oh. I met him during my travels. We became friends rather quickly and we have been traveling together ever since" Xianghua answered.

"Do you have feelings for him?" Galen asked in a knowing tone.

Xianghua jabbed him in the side "Shut it! That is of no concern to you!".

"Xianghua. Love is nothing to be ashamed of. I have a lover back home and she is pregnant with my child. When we deal with Nightmare, I am going to return to her and spend the rest of my life with her" Galen said with a smile.

Xianghua looked down "I don't know".

Galen put a hand on her shoulder "At least consider it. You both deserve to be happy".

With that Galen got up and went for a walk. Leaving Xianghua to her thoughts. Unknown to them however. Kilik had been listening to the whole conversation.

* * *

Nightmare was sitting on his throne until he felt it **"Yes... he is close now. Time to test his soul"**

Nightmare stood up from his throne and made his way out of his fortress. He wanted to see what this soul could do, first hand.

* * *

Galen, Kilik and Xianghua arrived at a snowy area, meaning they must be near a mountain. Sure enough they found it. Galen could feel it. The evil they were hunting was up there. This was it. Time to confront this evil and put an end to it.

"He is up there... I can sense him" Galen spoke.

Kilik nodded at that "I can feel it too. This is it".

Xianghua made a silent pray, she prayed for her mother to watch over her and give her strength to succeed. With that all 3 of them headed up the mountain. About 30 minutes later they reached a open place... and there he stood. Large monster, wearing dark armor, large blade in his hand, with demonic energy steaming out of him.

" **Nightmare**..." Galen spoke silently with a glare.

 **"You have finally arrived. Our long awaited meeting has come at last"** Nightmare said, his demonic voice sending chills in to their very soul.

"Glad I gave you something to look forward to" Galen said sarcastically.

 **"Indeed. Your soul is unlike anything I have ever felt before. Consuming it could satisfy my thirst and make me even more powerful"** Nightmare said in hunger.

"That's not gonna happen!" Kilik said as he held his staff and Xianghua pulled her sword.

Nightmare glanced at them **"Be gone. You don't interest me at the moment".**

"Well then you better get interested, cause we are not going anywhere!" Xianghua declared while pointing her sword at the demon.

Nightmare growls **"If you wish to die that much, then I will be happy to grant that wish!"**

With surprising speed, Nightmare rushed them like an out of control bull. Galen was quick to get in his way, blocking a strike with his sword. Nightmare was as strong as he looked, Galen could barely hold him of. Nightmare forced him aside just as Xianghua went to stab him. But he blocked the thrust with his blade before kicking her in he gut, sending her sliding through the snow. Kilik attempts to press the attack on Nightmare, landing a strike on his opponent's head with his staff. Nightmare pretends to use his sword but put it in his demon hand and managed to grab Kilik by his neck with his more human hand, and flings him far into the snow near the edge of the cliff.

"Kilik!" Xianghua shouted, before she gasped as Nightmare was ready to finish her.

Luckily Galen jumped in and stopped him by slicing at him, forcing him to back away "Xianghua! Get Kilik!".

The female fencer did not argue for a second as she rushed to help Kilik. Galen continued to fight Nightmare, but it was clear he was not going down easy. Not that Galen expected him to and with his powers locked behind this damn dark seed, there was not much Galen could do other than basic force enhancements. Nightmare's large demon fist connected with Galen's chest, sending him flying and hitting the ground hard.

Nightmare then jumps high in the air and attempts to land a devastating over-the-head blow with his sword, but Galen is able to nullify the hit with his own sword. The shockwave of Nightmare's attack causes the rocky ground to shatter all around them. Galen grunted before getting Nightmare of him. The two exchange a series of blows, with Galen using a piece of rock from the shattered ground as a projectile, which Nightmare deflects with his sword.

Galen went to stab Nightmare in the chest... but the demonic knight caught his blade with his bare hand **"What is this? Why are you holding back!?"** He throws Galen to the ground who had to roll to avoid having his head crushed by Nightmare's foot **"I know you are more powerful than this! SHOW ME!"**.

Galen blocks a swing from Nightmare's vile blade, but the impact sent him flying in to a boulder. He groans in pain before dashing to the side to avoid another strike that shattered the boulder.

 **"You have the power but refuse to use it. Why?! What is holding you back!?"** Nightmare demanded until he saw something in Galen's eyes **"Oh... I see now. You do not wish to be consumed by the power that could save you"** He looked to the side and saw Xianghua and Kilik trying to get to safety after the shockwaves almost made them fall **"If you will not fight to save yourself. Then fight to save them"**.

Galen's eyes became wide with horror as Nightmare made his way towards Galen's friends, sword ready to kill and consume their souls. He also saw that Xianghua and Kilik and lost their weapons due to all the chaos going on around them. They were defenseless against Nightmare now.

"NO! Get away from them!" Galen shouted as he felt the energy he had been fighting against starting to rise.

Nightmare only chuckled darkly **"Your weakness has sealed their fate. Now their souls are mine"**.

"Leave... them... ALOOOOOONE!" Galen screamed as his hand shot forward and red lightning flew out of his hand.

Nightmare turned around just in time to block the current of lightning with his sword. The clash between the two powers ripped the area around them apart. Galen's eyes was blazing red as he put more power in to his attack. Nightmare found himself sliding back from the pressure of the power, but his sword proved strong as he let out a roar and unleashed his own power.

It resulted in a shockwave that sent everyone flying in different directions. Nightmare flew in to a mountain wall. Xianghua and Kilik were sent in to a river and had to hold on for dear life to avoid being washed of the edge. But Killik looked up in horror as he saw Galen fly clean of the ledge and down a deadly drop.

"GALEN!" Kilik screamed as he held out his hand in vain for his friend. All he could do was watch Galen disappear in the darkness below.

Nightmare let out anrgy grunts as he stood up, holding his side. He saw the shard Galen had used to track him. He put it in his blade and walked away. Xianghua and Kilik was of no concern to him at the moment.

* * *

Back with Cassandra. Said girl woke up with a scream "GALEN!".

Sophitia rushed in to the room "Cassandra! What's wrong?".

Cassandra began to shake then buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Her older sister quickly hugged her, trying to calm her down, with little success.

"Galen... no... Galen!" Cassandra cried in to her sister's chest.

* * *

As for Galen himself... he had managed to survive the fall, thanks to landing in soft snow. But he was still badly injured and using his power again had left him drained. He heard foot steps before a familiar voice was heard... a voice of insanity and lust.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" Tira bent over him "And here I was beginning to worry my master had already killed you. Glad to see you made it. I would be very upset if you died before I got to have my fun!".

Galen tried to move, but it was becoming impossible to even stay awake. Tira watched this in amusement, it was always more fun when her prey tried to fight back. Galen did not make it far before Tira grabbed him and kissed him hard. The kiss lasted much longer than anyone would want before Tira lifted him over her shoulders.

"Let us continue this in privet my sweet boy. I have waited to long to be robbed of it now" Tira let out an insane laugh as she carried Galen away.

Those where the last words Galen heard before everything went black.

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Trapped in Darkness.**

It was dark... darkness was all Galen could see. But it was not silent. All around him he could hear voices... voices of people he had killed... voice of people he had lost... voices of people he had failed.

Vader **_"You were weak when I found you. I did not expect you to survive your training. But now, your hatred has become your strength. At last, the dark side is your ally"_**.

Kota **_"Vader thinks he's turned you. But I can sense your future. And Vader won't always be your master. I sense only... Me?"_**.

Shaak Ti **_"You are Vader's slave... but your power is wasted with him. You could be so much more"_** Galen remembered the next words all to well ** _"Poor boy. The sith always betray one another. But I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough"_**.

Galen was beginning to see things now... he saw the moment where Vader betrayed him for the first time.

Darth Vader speaks as Galen stands next to him _**"The Emperor's fleet has arrived"**_.

 ** _"You have lured the Emperor to us... When do we strike?"_** Galen asked.

 _ **"I did not summon him"**_ Vader said as the Emperor enters the room from behind them. As Galen turns, Vader activates his lightsaber, stabbing though the back _**"His spies followed you here"**_.

Galen grabbed his chest as if he felt the pain all over again. Why was all this happening now?

Vader deactivates his lightsaber. Galen falls to the floor in pain as The Emperor approaches them **_"What is thy bidding, my Master?"_**.

 _ **"You have forgotten your place, Lord Vader. By taking this boy as your apprentice, you have betrayed me. Now, kill him, or I'll destroy you both"**_ The Emperor ordered coldly.

Galen watched himself gasping in pain, looking up at Vader _**"M-Master... we can defeat him together!"**_.

 _ **"Strike him down and prove your loyalty to me!"**_ The Emperor demanded. Vader pauses, then grabs Galen, throwing him against a wall with the Force. The Emperor cackles _**"Yes, yes! Kill him, Lord Vader!"**_.

In that moment Galen relived all the pain he felt during those seconds. All the impacts, all the crackings in his bones... and the cold vacuum of space. He felt it all.

Galen cried out in pain before he felt something. He looked behind him and saw Vader glaring down at him _**"There is much conflict in you. Your feelings for your new allies are growing stronger. Do not forget, that you still serve me"**_

Galen fell to his knees before the sight before him changed to... Juno _**"You're still loyal to Vader! After he branded me a traitor and tried to kill you! You're still his... his..."**_.

"Slave..." Galen said in a sad tone, not even letting his own image finish it.

The scene changed again and he saw himself face down in the snow, shouting at Vader _**"You agreed to stay away!"**_.

 _ **"I lied, as I have had from the very beginning"**_ Vader revealed as he picks up Galen in a Force choke.

 _ **"You never planned to destroy the Emperor!"**_ Galen realized.

 _ **"Not with you, no"**_ Vader said as he tossed Galen over the edge of the mountain.

Galen glared the scene. But he was almost more mad at himself that it took all of that for him to finally turn hi back on the sith. He should have done it much sooner. If he had... who know what his life would have been now.

But there was one last memory... and perhaps the most painful one. His final moment with Juno _**"Will I ever see you again?"**_.

"I'm sorry Juno... we will never see each other again" Galen spoke in a sad tone before the memory world vanished.

Galen slowly opened his eyes but was met with more darkness... until he noticed the faint light of a fire next to him. He groans as he tries to move, but still feels pain. He then felt a cold hand rub his chest in a seductive way.

"You are awake now my sweet prince. Good, I was starting to get worried" Galen knew that voice all to well: Tira.

Galen wanted to move so badly, but his body refused to listen. The injuries he suffered where bad, but not fatal... but that damn dark seed that was sapping away his powers was getting stronger.

Tira giggled as she got on top of him... only then did Galen notice she was not wearing anything. He pale skin was all bare. She licked her lips "I have waited a long time for this. And now I am done waiting. Nightmare will have you. But not before I take what I want first".

Tira gave Galen a deep kiss, which he was powerless to stop. She then got in a special position... Galen knew what was about to happen... and he knew he could not stop it, not matter how much he wanted to... He was happy that Cassandra was not here to see it... but thinking about her made it hurt more.

Darkness was all he could see now.

* * *

As for Cassandra herself. She was sitting on her bed... like she had been for a long time now. All she had been doing is sit on her bed, eat when she needed to and refused to do anything else. The only times she left her room was when she needed to a bathroom break, but the moment she was done, she went right back to her room, sat on the bed and stared at nothing. Safe to say Sophitia had grown very worried about her younger sister, and Cassandra refused to say a word to her.

"Cassandra please, you can't keep going like this. You need to get out and do something" Sophitia said, but got no response "Listen why don't we go out for a walk? Just you and me and that road we always loved to travel together?".

Once again Cassandra did not move or speak. She had been like this ever since her outburst a while ago. Sophitia was not sure what could have happened to Galen to make Cassandra like this, all she knew is that she had to do something.

"Okay that's it! You and I are going on a walk, no more excuses. So get your butt out of bed and get dressed. Unless you wish to walk around half naked" Sophitia said sharply, she had been patient, but she's just about had it with Cassandra's unresponsive state.

Cassandra sighed and finally spoke "Fine...".

Later that day, the two sister walked along their favorite lake. Cassandra had not said much since they left, but at least she was away from the house now. Sophitia allowed the silence for a while until she spoke "Cassandra please. Tell me why you are so upset. What happened to Galen?".

"I... I don't know. I just got a very bad feeling. Me and Galen share a very strong bond. I can't explain it, but we know when the other is in trouble or that something bad happened to one of us... I think it's the same feeling that lead to Galen coming back to save me from Nightmare's slave. I don't have Galen's powers, but the bond we share is more than enough for me to know something happened" Cassandra explained the best she could.

Sophitia put an arm around her sister's shoulders "Cassandra, you should have just talked to me, instead of closing yourself of like that".

Cassandra leans in to the small hug she got "I know and I'm sorry, it's just... I have never loved any man before I met Galen... and thanks to him I am about to become a mother... I'm just so worried it well grow up without a father".

"Galen will come back Cassandra. I know he will" Sophitia said.

"I know... thank you sis" Cassandra said and the two sisters hugged each other, with Sophitia giving her sister a kiss on the cheek.

They were locked in the embrace for a full minute before Sophitia looked at the water "Want to go for a swim?".

Cassandra smiled at the idea "That sounds nice".

They dumped their clothes on the side and walked in to the water. Though Cassandra could not shake the feeling that something bad really did happen. She could only pray that Galen would be alright.

* * *

Back with Galen, he was very tired, both from his injuries and for all the 'Fun' Tira made him have with her. He had endured far worse pain in the past so it did not effect him that much. Still he which he could just get up and make Tira pay for what she did. But for now all he could do was take his time and survive long enough for him to recover. Hopefully it would not take to long.

As for Tira herself, she was under the blanket with him, resting on his chest with a satisfied smile "That really was worth all the painful waiting. I had so much fun. And I think we both could have a very fun life together".

Galen fought the urge to tell her to go to hell. He needed to be smart about this, or things would end very badly.

"Hey handsome. I never told you about my past. Would you like to hear it? It's not something I like talking about. Show how special you are to me" Tira said.

Figuring if he kept her talking it would buy him time so he just nodded _'Take your time and then you can get back up'_.

Tira smiled and began to explain "Well my birthplace is not something anyone need to know, I come from a European organization hidden in the shadows called the Bird of Passage. I was raised exclusively as an assassin, for the Bird of Passage specialized in forming contracts with powerful people of prestige and dispatching assassins to eliminate important targets, and began killing at a very young age. Within this organization, I was known only by my codename: Eiserne Drossel, it means Iron Thrush. Due to my upbringing, I became utterly inured to the sight of death, eventually I ended up becoming so engrossed in my ability to kill without experiencing any remorse or conflicting emotion that I started to become dependent on killing for the stimulation it provided. By the time I was nine years old, she had already killed enough to be considered a Bird of Death. What can I say, killing puts a smile on my face".

Galen already knew she was crazy, but now he knew she was utterly twisted.

"Anyway. I was taught how to fight by a woman in the organization. She raised Tira and was known as her Mother Bird. When Tira had grown older, she was forced to kill her and to perform a subsequent 'Sky Burial', as a rite of passage. To tell you the truth, she is the only person I ever regreted killing. Having a mother was fun you know. Stupid rules, wouldn't you agree?".

All Galen could do was nod, to tell the truth, he had a feeling that the trauma of killing her mother-figure is what caused her to become this.

"Amidst my travels, I learned of the Azure Knight's massacres, and started to harbor a twisted fondness for his terrifying figure. I decided to track down the Azure Knight and become his servant, believing him to be a kindred spirit due to his ability to spread pain and suffering. Soon arriving to Ostrheinsburg, I encountered a man with a Death Scythe, can't remember his name but whatever. This man explained to me that Nightmare was nothing more than a puppet being controlled by the cursed sword, Soul Edge. Though I was disappointed by this information, I later jumped at the opportunity when I learned of the Azure Knight's resurfacing. After following a trail of slaughter, I finally found Nightmare and fulfilled my wish in becoming a loyal, erratic servant for him and Soul Edge. After this acceptance, I was given two tasks: To destroy the spirit sword, Soul Calibur, thus liberating Soul Edge from its prison, and locate a new, permanent host for the demonic blade. In order to fulfill these objectives, I was granted the protection of Nightmare's raven sentries, the Watchers. I've been with him ever since, and I must say it has been a lot of fun being with him" Tira finished her back story.

 _'This girl is twisted beyond anything I have seen... I'm not sure if she can ever be redeemed. She is not someone who did what she did because she had no choice, she could have chosen to change after she left the order... unless she don't know how to make her own decisions... still that does not excuse all the needless death she wrought on innocent people'_ Galen thought to himself, regarding Tira's story.

"This is the firs time I have ever spoken about my past to anyone. You know, if you agree to be mine and stay with me forever. I will make sure Nightmare does not eat your soul. Sound good to you? Sounds great to me!" Tira said with her insane smile.

Galen remained silent, how would he even answer that? No way he wanted to stay with her, but he could not risk her handing him over to Nightmare by making her angry.

"Need time to think? I understand. Until then, let's bond a little more!" Tira said with an giggle.

 _'This girl makes me want to die'_ Was all Galen could think about before Tira had her next round of fun.

Darkness indeed.

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Old face returns.**

Galen sat in the cave Tira brought him to with his legs crossed. He had managed to endure her so called love making for a while now. Right now Tira was out to scout the area, but had tied Galen's upper body to a rock, wanting to make sure he would not escape, but also allowing him some level of comfort. Right now Galen decided to make the most of his time alone by meditating, focusing on keeping the dark energy in check while also doing his best to mend his wounds. Force healing was tricky, and the dark seed made it even harder, it took all of Galen's focus to avoid giving the dark seed more power and focus all the energy in to healing the wound. It was working but it was also exhausting.

Galen was broken out of his focus when he heard foot steps. He figured Tira must be back. He sighed as he kept his eyes closed, not wanting to deal with Tira's crazy love obsession right now. He just wanted to recover so he could break free and either get away from Tira or out right stop her from hurting anyone else.

"So I finally found you" That was not Tira's voice. But Galen still remembered it. He had met this person before.

Galen opened his eyes and saw the familiar face "You...".

In front of him, stood non other than Ivy "Did you really think you could escape from me? Going to take a lot more than throwing me in to water to get rid of me".

Galen sighed, he really was not in the mood for this "Look lady. I know you want me dead, but there is no time for this. Can we wait to kill each other until Nightmare is destroyed?".

Ivy pointed her blade at him "You are tainted with his corruption. Killing you will be a mercy. And then I will destroy Nightmare myself".

"You can not beat him without help" Galen argued.

"I don't expect to survive. I know that when I face him I will die. But I will take him with me. My life means nothing, so my death will be a small prise to pay if it means that Soul Edge will never claim another soul" Ivy declared.

"If you kill me, Nightmare will claim my soul and become even more powerful. Every time someone with his energy in them dies, their souls are absorbed by his blade. All the people you have killed only served to fuel his power. The only way to end all this is to stop Nightmare before he becomes to powerful" Galen explained, hoping that Ivy would see reason.

Ivy glared at him "You're saying all my efforts only made things worse?".

"I'm sorry, but I do. Kill me now, and Nightmare wins" Galen said.

"I don't trust you" Ivy said in a icy tone.

Galen sighed at that "Fine, but before you kill me, do me this one favor. Tell my lover and my unborn child, that I'm sorry".

Ivy got wide eyes "You are going to be a dad?".

Galen smiled sadly "Yes, a beautiful young woman named Cassandra is carrying my first child. I had a feeling I would never see her again... but I would do anything to see her smiling face, one last time".

Ivy watched him for a moment before raising her sword. Galen closed his eyes, ready to embrace death... a cutting sound was heard... Galen blinked when he noticed the only thing that got cut was the ropes.

He looked up and saw Ivy looking at him with no emotions "If what you say is true, then I will try it your way for now. But if you lose control and turn in to an malfested, I will not think twice about killing you".

"If that happens, I want you to kill me" Galen said as he slowly got up, feeling a little better "I never want to be the slave of another dark monster".

"Another? You have been a slave to darkness before?" Ivy asked.

"I'll tell you later if I can. Right now there is no time. One of Nightmare's servants brought me here and she could be back at any moment" Galen explained "I know you want to kill her, and I can relate to that to some point. But remember what I just told you".

"I know. Can you walk?" Ivy asked.

"Not fast. Nightmare left me in a bad shape" Galen admitted.

Ivy sighed before placing Galen's arm around her shoulder, helping him stand "I will support you for now. But only until we've had a chance to treat your injuries".

Galen smiled "Got it and thanks for believing in me".

"I never said I believed you. I'm only giving you a chance. I am still ready to kill you the second I think you are deceiving me" Ivy warned as she helped him out of the cave.

Galen just smiled as they left the hell hole he had been trapped in. Luckily, Tira did not show up, but Galen knew when she discovered he was gone, she would not be happy. And he knew she would try to find them, meaning he had to make sure to be ready for when he has to fight her again.

And hopefully he can stay on Ivy's good side long enough for them to destroy Nightmare together. She was powerful, he could sense it, she would be a big help against the evil demon knight. And Galen needed all the help he could get.

But first he needs to recover and maybe even retrain himself so that he would be more ready to fight Nightmare. The demon knight was even more powerful than he expected, he could not make that mistake again... wait a minute... where was his sword!?

* * *

Meanwhile, Kilik and Xianghua were searching for their friend. They had figured out where he must have landed and where now searching the river bed to see if he was there. As they looked, Kilik noticed something glimmer in the water. He reached in to the water and pulled up a sword. But not just any sword.

"No doubt about it. This is Galen's sword. He was here" Kilik concluded after having inspected the blade.

"But then where is he?" Xianghua asked as she looked around.

"I see no body. Meaning he must have survived the fall. If he is alive we will find him... I am not leaving him to die out here after all the help he gave us" Kilik said with determination.

Xianghua smiled at his will to help his friend, and she felt the same, Galen was their friend now, so noway they were leaving him to die if they can save him "We will find him. Together".

Kilik smiled "Together".

With that, their search for their missing friend resumed.

* * *

Back with Cassandra, she was currently resting on her bed. But she was not asleep. She just laid in her bed, rubbing her pregnant belly... but she wanted Galen to be the one to do it. Rub her belly, kiss it, showing his love to both her and their baby. Cassandra was really excited to see what her child would look like... but she was praying that Galen would make it back in time for the birth... but he had been gone for so long. She was really worried for him.

"Did I not tell you to get some sleep?" Came the voice of Cassandra's loving older sister.

Cassandra sighed as she looked at her "Sorry Sophitia... sleeping has gotten very difficult".

Sophitia got an understanding look as she walked up to the bed and sat next to her little sister "As I keep telling you sis. Galen will make it back, he would not dare to break his promise".

Cassandra smiled "I know. But it's only natural to worry about a loved one".

"True, you have been worrying me for a while now" Sophitia said.

"Sorry, again... how is Patroklos and Pyrrha?" Cassandra asked, curious about her niece and nephew.

"They are doing well. Home with their father. I check on them from time to time, but my visits can't last to long since I need to keep an eye on you too" Sophitia explained.

"You don't need to worry about me all the time. You should take some time to spend with your children" Cassandra pointed out.

Sophitia gave Cassandra a hard look that made the younger sister shrink back in slight fear "Cassandra... my dear, lovely and cute little sister... You are the one I worry about the most at the moment. Since you are sharing your body with a little one now. So do not dare tell me not to worry about you again. I will keep worrying until my niece or nephew is born".

Cassandra looked defeated "Understood, sis".

Sophitia smiled in her victory "Now since you are having trouble sleeping, how about I sleep with you? Will that help you relax?".

Cassandra smiled at that "I would love that... but make sure to give some love to my child too".

Sophitia got in to the bed, holding Cassandra close, rubbing her belly before kissing her sister's head "Sleep now, sister. And remember I love you".

Cassandra snuggled in to Sophitia's chest "I love you too, big sister".

With that, both slowly fell asleep. Cassandra still missed Galen's love. But until he gets back, sisterly love from Sophitia would be more than enough.

* * *

Meanwhile, Galen and Ivy had gotten a safe distance away before Ivy helped Galen sit down against a tree. They had been walking for a while now and both could use the break to gather themselves and establish some ground rules.

"Time to have a look at your injuries" Ivy said and Galen grunts as she began checking his body "Hmm... some cuts here and there, nothing that can't be treated here and now. For one who faced Nightmare you don't seem to be in any critical condition".

"I can use my power to heal. But the dark corruption does not make it easy, could only keep my wounds form being lethal" Galen explained.

Ivy humms before speaking "Take of your pants".

"Say what!?" Galen asked with a small hint of horror.

"I'm done with your upper body. I need to check your lower body now. If there is a wound, then it could be infected and that could kill you. Now take of your pants or I'll do it for you" Ivy declared.

"No!" Galen snapped.

Ivy hissed in annoyance "Do not try my patience".

"I said no!" Galen said, not backing down.

Ivy glared "Fine then!".

A few sounds of a struggle... and a slap on the former sith's face was heard before his pants was thrown to the side... and he was not wearing anything under them. Thank Tira for that.

Ivy blinked a few times "Oh... so that's why you where resisting so much... Never mind I will still check you, so you better behave or I will show you the pain I can cause a man".

Galen felt humiliated as the woman checked his body and even cleaned away some dirt to make sure there was no wounds under them. Ivy was very detailed in her search... to detailed as she checked areas he'd rather not let her see. But he had little choice but to obey, not wanting to risk her getting angry and do something even worse.

"Well looks like you will be fine" Ivy said as she stood up.

Galen glared at her "You were enjoying it".

Ivy looked him over before she smirked "Yes, I did enjoy it. Every moment of it. You are a handsome young man. I could show you a lot of what I can do".

"No thanks. I already got enough of that torture from Tira. And my real lover would kill me if she found out" Galen said, knowing that if Cassandra found out about Tira and Ivy, she would crush his face with her butt... which would not be the worst way to die.

"Whatever" Ivy said as she tossed Galen's pants at him, and he quickly put them back down, much to Ivy's amusement.

Still, speaking of clothes, Galen had to ask "Why do you dress like that?".

Ivy looked over herself "Got a problem with my outfit?".

"It's just, it does not cover much. Don't you get cold? Or worry about bad men trying to violate you?" Galen asked.

"I can handle the cold. And no man dares try to harass me unless they never want to pee again" Ivy said in a cold tone.

Galen figured it was best to move on "So what is your story? How did you end up on this quest?".

"My past is not of your concern. I don't trust you nearly enough to tell you that. Prove yourself, that you are not a monster and maybe I will tell you. But I stretch maybe" Ivy said before walking over to the river, Galen had to look away to avoid starring at her back side.

"Why do I attract the crazy ones?" Galen mumbled to himself.

This was going to be a long night.

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Another meeting of destiny.**

Kilik and Xianghua was still searching for Galen. They had found his blade so they where on the right tracks. But they where yet to find Galen himself. It shouldn't take this long to find him... the only reason they could think of as to why he was so hard to find, must be because someone had already found him... and that was a worrying thought given what could be out here. If one of Nightmare's slaves found him then he was as good as dead. Not a happy thought and one they rather prove false. All they needed to do was find him before someone else did... and hopefully they were not to late.

"Come on, where is he?!" Xianghua asked out loud in frustration.

" Calm down Xianghua. I am worried too, but if we lose our focus now, we will never find him" Kilik said, doing his best to hold back his own growing frustration.

"I know... but still, we have followed the river for hours. Where could he have ended up?" Xianghua asked.

"I don't know bu- LOOK OUT!" Kilik shouted before blocking the strike of an assailant.

The attacker jumped back, revealing herself as a woman in a skin tight suit. She must be one of these ninjas that Kilik and Xianghua heard of during their travels. She had a short sword and a strong killer instinct in her eyes.

"Who are you?" Xianghua demanded.

"Who I am does not matter. That boy behind you has an evil power inside him, I am here to purge it. Trust me, it will be a mercy" The woman said.

"Evil power... she must be talking about the curse" Kilik realized.

"But, just to make sure" The woman said before rushing with insane speed and snatched away Kilik's necklace.

The moment she did that, Kilik felt his darker side grow stronger by the second as he fell to his knees, screaming in pain and desperation.

"KILIK!" Xianghua screamed in panic.

"Just as I thought" The woman said before tossing the necklace back to Kilik who quickly put it back on and his dark side slowly vanished "I will free you from your curse. But there is only one way to do that".

But as the woman got ready to end Kilik's life, Xianghua stepped between them with her sword drawn "You will not touch him!".

The woman gave a small glare "Interfere and I can't promise you will walk away from this".

Xianghua pointed her sword at the ninja woman "I said: You will not touch him! Not before going through me first".

"You make it sound like I can't. Nothing you can do will stop me from doing what needs to be done" The woman said in a cold tone.

"I will show you what I can do!" Xianghua declared as she got ready.

"So be it then" The woman said before attacking.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tira had arrived back at the cave after long meeting with Nightmare which lasted much longer than she hoped. She was tired and a little annoyed. She would need to have some fun with Galen to relieve some stress... but when she arrived... Galen was gone...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Tira's scream sent all nearby birds flying in fear. She stormed out of the cave "You think you can just get away from me like that!? I will find you! And when I do, you will not have any legs to run away with! That is a promise!"

Tira held her bladed ring and began her hunt. Galen was not getting away. She wouldn't let him. He belonged to her and no one would take him away from her. Not even Nightmare himself... at least not until she is done with him, which would not be for a very long time.

* * *

Back with the other. Xianghua blocked a strike from the woman and managed to force her back. The battle had lasted for several minutes already and it was becoming rather tedious for the ninja who somehow could not power through her opponent.

"That's all you got? After all that confidence?" Xianghua asked with a smirk.

The woman studied her for a moment "Your sword... it's more than it appears to be... very well, I will leave for now, but the moment he losses control, I will come back and finish him... but right now, there is another thing I've noticed".

Faster than the eye could see, the woman dashed passed Xianghua and towards Kilik... but she did not kill him. Instead she snatched Galen sword from him and jumped away.

"Hey! That sword does not belong to you!" Xianghua said with a glare.

"Nor does it belong to either of you, or you would have used it" The woman said before looking at the blade "It feels... divine. Yet I can not access it's power. It would seem only it's true wielder can use it to it's full potential... looks like I will just have to track him down and with this sword that should not be difficult".

With that the woman left, leaving Xianghua and Kilik alone. Xianghua was a little mad at herself for failing to stop that woman, but she did not have time to worry about that now.

She rushed up to Kilik and bent down in front of him "You okay?"

Kilik grunts before standing up "I'll be fine... but that woman is going after Galen and it looks like she has better means of tracking him than we do".

"Then what do we do now?" Xianghua asked.

Kilik thought for a moment before grabbing his staff "We will find Galen. Now".

Xianghua nods in determination and they resumed their search.

* * *

Later, Galen and Ivy where resting near a river, Galen was meditating, still focusing on healing himself while Ivy was just bathing her feet in the river. However Galen sensed something and looked around. Ivy noticed this as she turned to look at him.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Someone is here" Galen answered as he stood up.

"You sense my presence. Impressive" Galen looked and saw the woman who had attacked Kilik and Xianghua... but his eyes focused on what she was holding.

"That is my sword" Galen pointed out "I would appreciate if you gave it back".

The woman shook her head "I am not giving you anything until you answer all my questions".

"I am afraid that it was not a request" Galen said before holding up his hand and the woman was shocked as the blade was ripped from her hand and in to Galen's own. As he held his blade, he could feel the divine power in it, beating back the darkness and restoring his energy "I feel much better now".

"How did you do that?" The woman demanded.

Galen looked at her "You ask to many questions for a stranger. How about you tell me your name before you start demanding things from me. As a courtesy I will tell you mine: Galen Marek".

The woman looked at him for a moment before removing her mask "My name is Taki, why does that sword obey you?".

"Because I was the one who forged it" Galen answered "I can sense power in you too. Care to tell me what it is?".

Take pulled out her short sword "I have a feeling words will not be enough for this".

Galen nodded as he pulled out his own sword "Right, let our blades explain who we are".

"Umm... you both know I'm still here right?" Ivy asked.

"Stay back Ivy. This is my battle" Galen ordered.

Ivy glared at him for thinking he can tell her what to do, but decided to stay back anyway. She wanted to see how this would play out.

Immediately, Taki sprang backward and, in midair, took a series of throwing knives in hand and hurled them at Galen. But Galen flipped back, the knives embedding themselves in the ground below, then sprinted after his opponent and delivered a flying kick only to meet Taki crossing her arms in front of her to absorb the impact. It still staggered her a bit, but not enough to throw off her game. She countered with a sharp jab at Galen only to meet his forearm, which rose up to deflect the attack.

Taki reached up with the hand that was holding her kodachi. Galen acted fast and raised his sword just as Taki brought her blade down. Sparks flew through the air as the two steel weapons collided and, after a brief locking of blades, Galen pushed off and sprang back.

Both rushed forward with astounding speed, swords in hand, then Taki reached to her belt with a free hand and pulled a series of shuriken and lobbed them at Galen. The grey jedi jumped and actually ran across the face of a large boulder, then sprang off and launched a kick at Taki. The Ninja ducked to the right as Galen overshot her, but the grey jedi performed a graceful back-flip on hitting ground and was facing his opponent and dashing back at her.

The air was soon rich with the sound of metal striking metal. The two's swords were literally no more than silvery blurs as they attempted to cut the other into ribbons. Between the two, Galen was a whirlwind, striking fast and from several different angles in an attempt to throw off his opponent's defenses and land a strike. Taki, on the other hand, was a bit more focused, striking with precision and deflecting a few strikes in the hopes of her opponent leaving an open spot. So far for Taki, nothing was coming up.

Taki focused her mind and the blade of Rekki-Maru glowed a bluish-green. She rushed Galen and struck hard with her kodachi. As expected, Galen raised his own blade to block and, on impact, it staggered him so much that only a mad duck kept his from losing her head to Taki's blade.

Taki followed up with a few quick strikes of Rekki-Maru, which Galen met and countered to no avail, but Taki mixed things up by actually feigning a strike and then sweeping the ground with her foot. Galen fell flat on his back and Taki sprang to end the fight there.

Galen rolled backward as Taki's blade carved a small trench in the dirt path. The grey jedi seized his chance and sprang at Taki.

One could imagine his surprise when Taki actually seemed to vanish from sight. Galen passed through nothing but air, then swiftly whirled around and swung his blade. Taki so narrowly avoided it that the blade nicked her side, tearing her costume and leaving a small, thin scar. Apparently she had reappeared behind Galen and attempted a sneak attack, which failed.

Taki flinched, but did not let her injury slow her down. Now she was close and could strike. With her free hand, she seized Galen's forearm before he could follow up with a slash, then pulled him forward. While Galen was still momentarily leaning forward, Taki sprang clean into the air and landed on his shoulders before springing off again, sending Galen to the ground. Then she landed on his back with a powerful stomp before springing off.

Galen rolled back to his feet just as Taki lunged with Rekki-Maru once again, the blade crackling with bluish energy. Galen couldn't block in time, so he opted for evading. He seemed to twirl his whole body before planting a kick into Taki's back, sending her stumbling back once again.

Galen jumped back. He needed to focus. At this rate he might die. He still had not fully recovered yet. He needed to think of something fast. Then something came to mind. Taki was able to use whatever power she had to enhance her strikes. Galen looked at his sword. He could feel the power... but he can't believe he never took the time to find out what that power was, instead just focusing on the power he already knew.

Galen took a deep breath and focused on his blade. Taki noticed this and wondered what he was doing. Ivy too seemed interested.

Taki shook her head and just dashed forward, ready to end this... but the moment she struck... he blade was easily blocked by Galen's own blade, despite her enhancing her strike with her power. Her eyes became wide when she noticed Galen's eyes began to glow blue.

Before Taki could react, Galen's fist smashed in to her face, shattering her mask and sending her rolling across the ground, only stopping when her back hit a tree. Despite the pain, she was still able to see what happened next.

Both Taki and Ivy got wide eyes as the now glowing Galen used the force to... rip the dark shard right out of his body and destroyed it. He let out a shout as the evil power was purged from his body, all thanks to his divine blade.

"Galen!" Taki and Ivy looked to see Xianghua rush up along with Kilik. Said fencer glared at Taki "You! You just don't know when to quit do you!?".

"Calm down Xinghua" Galen said, making everyone look at him "She didn't do anything wrong. If anything I should be thanking her".

"What do you mean? What did she do?" Kilik asked.

Galen smiled as she looked over himself "She opened my eyes to something that's been right in front of me the whole time. The dark power in me is gone... I feel... at peace".

"So... what does that mean?" Ivy asked.

Galen clenched his fist "I am now ready... to fight Nightmare once more... and this time I will destroy him".

Xinghua rushed up and hugged him "You had us worried sick you idiot!".

Kilik just smiled "Good to have you back, my friend".

Galen smiled as he patted Xinghua's back "Glad to be back" He looked at Ivy and Taki "You two want to come along?".

Ivy chuckled "I might as well. If I can't destroy Nightmare myself. At least I want to be there to watch him die".

"I guess I can agree to an alliance for now. But I will be keeping an eye on all of you in case I need to kill you" Taki said bluntly.

"You sure about this Galen? How can we trust them?" Xianghua asked.

"You don't have trust them, Xianghua. I only ask you to trust me. They want Nightmare and Sould Edge destroyed, just like we do. And together, I know we can win" Galen said before raising his blade forward "To the end of Soul Edge!".

Everyone smiled as they placed their weapons on Galen's sword, showing they were with him on this **"To the end of Soul Edge".**

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A final Nightmare.**

It was now time. Galen had reunited with his friends, Kilik and Xianghua and had even found two more allies in Ivy and Taki. Together they where heading back to the dark castle to confront Nightmare again. While he left them in a bad shape last time they fought, Galen, Kilik and Xianghua were ready for him this time. And with the help of both Ivy and Taki, they had an even better chance. They reached the dark castle and stopped by the entrance to gather their final thoughts. If they stepped inside now, there would be no turning back, so they had to make sure they truly were ready.

"So... this is it then" Xianghua said.

Kilik gave a small nod "Nightmare's castle...".

"He is here. I can sense him" Ivy said while glaring at the darkness in front of him.

"So do I. This evil aura. No question that's him" Taki said.

Galen was silent for a few moments before looking at his divine blade, he closed his eyes and whispered "Guide us with your light".

His blade began to glow and the dark aura was pushed away by the light, Taki eyed Galen's sword in wonder "That sure is a beautiful sword".

"Indeed... this is it everyone" Galen began as he looked at his friends and allies "If we go in, we will not get out unless Nightmare is dead. And if we fail, we will all be consumed by Soul Edge. If anyone wish to wait out here, here is your chance. No one would fault you for not wanting to risk death".

Everyone shared a quick glance before Xianghua spoke in a teasing tone "Really Galen? After all this you expect us to just turn around and walk away while you go in to fight the most evil monster in the world? No way. Besides, you would not last without us".

"While I am confident that you could, I agree with Xianghua that it's far to late for us to not see this through. And besides, we are your friends and friends got each other's backs" Kilik added.

"I had business with Nightmare long before any of you. I am not going anywhere handsome" Ivy said with a smirk.

Tiki huffs "I don't care that much. I am just here to make sure Nightmare dies".

Galen smiled at them "Thank you all... well time to destroy Nightmare and Soul Edge" With that they headed inside... only to be met by Tira, along with a large giant with a large ax, Galen sighed "You again".

Tira smirked "Hello my love. It was not very nice of you to leave me like that. And not very smart either. Now my master will have your soul. A shame, I wanted us to have more time together".

"Sorry Tira. But you are just not my type. Step aside and I will allow you to live" Galen warned.

Tira just laughed like the crazy girl she is "Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you! Maybe my master will let me have your corpse! Or maybe we will be together again in Soul Edge! Let's do this Astaroth!".

The giant ax wielder named Astaroth gripped his ax "These maggots will die!".

Taki stepped up "We got no time for this. Go on ahead, I will handle these two".

"You crazy!? You can't fight them both alone!" Xianghua argued.

"Don't insult me. I can handle them" Taki shot back.

"That is very noble of you, but I'm afraid that I can't allow you to do this alone" Ivy said as she stepped up next to Taki "These two need to be taught a lesson, and I am an expert at that".

"Ivy?" Galen said surprised by the skimpy clothed woman's actions.

"If that blade of yours really can destroy Nightmare, then fine, I will give you a chance. Just be sure nothing remains of that demon, or I will take my anger out on you 1000 times over" Ivy said as she readied her weapon.

Galen was silent for a moment before he nods "Alright. Good luck you two, see you when this is over".

Galen along with Kilik and Xianghua continued on and when their enemies tried to stop them, Taki and Ivy jumped in to keep them away.

"Think you can handle this?" Taki asked as she had her blade ready.

Ivy smirks as she whips the ground "Try not to get in the way sweetheart!".

"You filthy women! I will cut you both to shreds!" Tira shouted in anger that she was once again denied some more time with her beloved Galen.

"All of you shut up! Stop making all that noise and just die!" Astaroth roared as he charged the two women, with Tira not far behind.

Ivy and Taki got ready before meeting their charging enemies head on.

* * *

Following the dark trail left by Soul Edge, Galen and his two friends walked through the halls of the dark castle until they reached a large door. They looked at each other and nodded before opening the doors, revealing a large room. Fire was burning on several places and in the far back of the room, Nightmare himself was sitting on his throne.

The demonic knight slowly looked up when he heard them enter **"You have finally arrived... I have been waiting for you".**

"Well sorry to keep you waiting, Nightmare" Xianghua said in a snarky tone.

 **"I was not speaking to you, little girl"** Nightmare said he focused on Galen **"I can no longer sense the seed in you. Seems like you somehow managed to rid yourself of it. It matter not. You are to late, I have already absorbed enough of your strength to make myself even more powerful".**

"The force is not a power you can just absorb, Nightmare. The true power of the force will always be beyond your grasp" Galen said.

 **"Is that so? Well we will find out after your soul becomes a part of me"** Nightmare said as he stood up from his throne while holding his vile blade **"You've done well to come this far. But now... listen... listen to the cold whispers of darkness and tremble in my fear".**

"You will not find fear with us, Nightmare. We are here to end you" Kilik said as he spun his staff.

 **"I have no interest in you, boy. My goal is the soul of the true warrior among you and I will not allow you to interfere!"** Nightmare said before raising his blade, creating some kind of barrier than separated Galen from his friends.

"GALEN!" Xianghua screamed as Kilik struck the barrier with his staff, trying desperately to break it.

 **"Now, time to end this"** Nightmare spoke darkly while readying his blade.

Galen glared at him before getting ready himself "For once, we agree. This all ends here".

Nightmare was quick to act, as he closed the gap between them with inhuman speed, raising his large blade. The demon knight swung hard from the right, but Galen was quick block it with a quick swipe of his sword, though the impact made him slide back a little, but not enough to knock him of balance. Nightmare broke away from the deadlock before he came back in force. He was relentless with his strikes, attacking from every angle he could, forcing Galen on the defensive. Yet despite his opponent's speed, Galen was more than capable of holding his ground, with Nightmare not landing a single hit against him.

The battle turned as in one instance, Galen pushed Nightmare's blade back and in one fluid swipe of his blade, he had cut through the shoulder plating like a hot knife through butter. He followed it up with a stabbing motion towards the stomach, but Nightmare jumped backwards a couple feet. But he soon charged back in but used a different stance. The sudden change caught Galen off guard, as he could barely keep up, grunting in pain as the blade graced his sides. The transition shock of his opponent's changed style was short lived as Galen went on the offensive, knocking the demonic blade away when it would strike and at the right moment, he swung his own blade downward, only for Nightmare to block it.

Nightmare once again changed up his style, bashing against whatever he had in his sights. The sudden change forced Galen to defend as best he could, a task made more difficult since his opponent held more fighting styles and knew the right way to use them. While his sword was preoccupied with Nightmare's blade, his armored fist struck him right in his chest, sending Galen tumbling across the ground.

Nightmare raced towards his fallen prey, intending to ram his sword in to Galen's chest and there by absorb his soul. But Galen sent a powerful force push towards the charging knight, sending him flying back from the sudden rush of kinetic energy. As the dark warrior tried to push himself back up, he found himself lifted into the air by Galen, as he swung his hand, thereby hurling Nightmare like a rag-doll into several objects, over and over again.

Nightmare was slammed in to the floor, he growls as he dug his hands in to the floor, preventing Galen form lifting him again and then unleashed some of his power to disrupt Galen's focus. It worked and he was now free from Galen's grip and the two glared at each other.

Nightmare and Galen charged towards each other and collided swords, but then skidded backwards afterwards. They did the same thing again. With every sword strike, the two warriors skidded back. But with ever sword strike, Nightmare could feel Soul Edge weaken slightly every time it collided with Galen's divine blade.

Galen used the force to throw several objects and struck Nightmare, but to no effect. Nightmare raised Soul Edge and shot flames towards the former sith apprentice. Galen raised his hand to block the attack. Galen was successful, but his hand still stung from the heat, and as soon as he lowered his hand, Nightmare charged at him and swung his blade.

The force of the attack sent Galen flying, making him crash into a wall. Galen grunted in pain before he moved to the side to avoid being impaled by Soul Edge. Galen swung his blade, but this time, Nightmare did not try to block it, instead he grabbed Galen's arm and tossed him away.

Nightmare swung Soul Edge, but Galen repelled the demonic sword with his own divine sword, but while Nightmare skidded back, Galen didn't thanks to having used the force to absorb most of the impact. Nightmare rushed forward and started attacking Galen, whom blocked Nightmare's attacks with his sword. Nightmare kept hitting the sword, but this sword just wasn't breaking apart.

Still, Galen felt his arms growing tired until both him and Nightmare heard a sound... the sound of Kilik and Xianghau successfully breaking the dark barrier. With Nightmare distracted by what just happened, Galen took this chance to strike Nightmare with a force powered kick to the chest.

Nightmare was sent stumbling back and was left wide open for Kilik to attack. Kilik struck him with a quick barrage of of jabs from his staff, after several strikes, Kilik ended it with a powerful spinning strike that made Nightmare stumbled back. In that moment, Xianghua took the chance to strike Nightmare across the chest with her own sword, which caused Nightmare more pain than Kilik's strikes.

Galen then jumped in and rams his sword in to Nightmare's corrupted heart. Nightmare looked Galen in the eyes before her fell back on to the floor. Galen pulled his sword free and looked down at the dead body of Nightmare.

"Is it... over?" Xianghua asked.

"I... don't know" Kilik answered.

"The evil is still strong. It's not over until we destroy his blade..." Galen said before looking at Xianghua "Xianghua, your sword hurt him. What is so special about it?".

Xianghua looked at her blade "I... don't really know".

Galen looked at her blade and used his powers to see what it really was, he got wide eyes "Wait, your sword! It's-".

Before he could finish, it was like Soul Edge itself came alive and a demonic hand shot out of the blade and grabbed Galen around his neck and then it looked like it was pulling him in. Much to the horror of his friends.

"GALEN!" Both shouted, but the dark pressure of Soul Edge kept them from getting close enough to help him.

"XIANGHUA! YOUR SWORD! GIVE ME YOUR SWORD!" Galen shouted.

Xianghua gasped before nodding and threw her sword to Galen who just managed to catch it before he was dragged in to Soul Edge. Galen soon found himself in another dimension and standing in front of him was a demon. The demon growls at Galen, who could sense the full power rising out of it.

"So... you must be Soul Edge's true form. The demon within the blade" Galen said while never taking his eyes of the monster.

 **"I am Inferno! And now your soul shall burn!"** The demon named Inferno roared as he build his power.

He charged up a flaming attack at Galen. Galen acted quickly, looking at both swords in his hand, he hoped that his hunch was right, or else this would be it for him. The fire struck, making Inferno believe he had won easily. Though, from out the flames came Galen, holding two blades in his hand. One was his own divine blade and the other one... looked like it was made by pure ice, but in truth it was the other legendary blade...

 **Soul Calibur.**

Galen was surrounded by a glowing blue aura while his eyes where glowing white.

Inferno growled and summoned a sword. The sword was made by pure dark power, a clear sign that Inferno was going to go all out on his foe, and Galen knew he had to do the same. Galen readied himself as he charged towards Inferno, swinging both powerful swords. Inferno retaliated by repelling both divine blades back, while also effectively disarming Galen of one of them. The divine sword impaled the ground, leaving Galen distracted for the moment.

Inferno swung at Galen, who blocked the attack with Soul Calibur. Galen regained his posture and using the force to send a blast at Inferno. However, the blast didn't do much as as Inferno was able to resist it. But Galen was not expecting a simple force push to do much, he just needed to keep Inferno of him long enough to get his weapon back. Galen held out his hand and his sword came flying back towards his hand. Inferno wasn't going to let Galen do what he had planned on doing and charged towards him. However, Galen jumped in to the air, making Inferno miss his swing at the last second.

While in mid air Galen reached his hand out and his blade once again flew towards him. Galen grasped the blade and as he landed he turned towards Inferno who was aiming to slice his head off. Galen ducked and slashed Inferno with the divine sword. Inferno dropped his sword and moved back, Galen focused and freed the full power of both his blades. Inferno formed two new blades and flew towards his foe, determined to consume his soul.

Both clashed before swinging their blades so fast that a normal human eye would never be able to keep up only the flashes from their weapons are seen. As Galen hits Inferno with kick to the chest, Inferno is knocked back and grips the floor to stop his momentum, partially melting the surface beneath him.

Inferno roars summons several fire projectiles before firing them at Galen, but he easily smashes them out of the air with superhuman speed. Galen quickly rushes the demon, rapidly hitting him with both his blades as he tries to block and knocking the demon back back yet again. However, Inferno uses his power to halt himself mid-air, unleashing a great force.

Galen began charging up his power, creating a barrier around him, powered by both the force and Soul Calibur. As Inferno fires a powerful fire-based attack at him, Galen dashes at him, his barrier protecting him from the attack. Before Galen can reach him, Inferno avoids his attack and tried to strike him with his blades.

Galen jumped out the way and sent out a blast through his blade. The blast struck, and Inferno was stunned for a good period of time. Galen took his chance and rushed behind Inferno and slashing his back with Soul Calibur. Inferno fell over, and both knew it was time to end things.

Galen jumped in the air and did a fatal blow, effectively stabbing Inferno in the chest. Inferno roared in pain as Soul Edge was destroyed, pierced by both blades made to destroy him. Inferno's cry could be heard as the dimension Galen was pulled in to began to shatter like glass.

When Galen opened his eyes, he was back in the normal world. With Kilik and Xianghua watching over him.

"You OK?" Xianghua asked.

"I think so... what happened?" Galen asked as he looked around.

"You did it. Nightmare is gone" Kilik said, but then the whole place began to crumble.

At that moment Taki and Ivy ran inside, with the ninja shouting "The whole castle is coming down! We need to leave! NOW".

She did not need to repeat herself as everyone got up and rushed out of the crumbling castle. When they were a safe distance away, they watched as the evil castle that once was Nightmare's home, crumble in to dust.

"What happened to Tira and that monster?" Galen asked.

"They are gone. The monster fell down a hole while Tira just ran" Taki answered "What happened?".

Galen smiled a little "We did it. Soul Edge is destroyed. Turns out Xianghua's blade was Soul Calibur. A sword made to fight Soul Edge. I was able to use it along with my own sword and kill the demon inside the blade... to bad Soul Calibur vanished after the battle".

"So you really did manage to kill him. Looks like I won't need to punish you then" Ivy said with smirk.

"Then... does that mean he is finally gone?" Xianghua asked.

"For now at least. But I have a feeling we have not seen the last of him... but I don't think we will be hearing from him, anytime soon" Galen answered, but then he began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Ivy asked.

Galen turned his head and smiled "Home".

Kilik understood and smiled back "Good buy my friend. Until our paths cross once again. And take care of your family".

Galen nods "I will. And thank you all for your help".

"You are a man of honor Galen. You did the world a great favor this day. Be proud of that" Taki said with a smile on her own.

Galen turned around and bowed before continuing on his way home. The rest watched him leave before going their separate ways.

* * *

Tira stood in the middle of the destroyed castle... after a few moments she began giggling... and then burst out laughing like a true maniac.

* * *

Weeks later, a very pregnant Cassandra was resting in her bed with Sophitia watching over her. Sophitia heard someone entering the front door. She ran out to see who it was and smiled widely when she saw the man both she and Cassandra had been waiting for.

"Cassandra" Said girl looked up to see her sister at the door "Guess who's back".

Sophitia stepped aside and allowed the certain someone to step in. Cassandra got wide eyes but then tears appeared in them "Galen...".

Galen smiled as he walked up and kissed her "Hello Cassandra".

"You're back... you are finally back..." Cassandra said between sobs.

Galen took her hand and kissed it "I promised you, didn't I?".

Cassandra smiled "Yes... yes you did".

Sophitia listened to the reunion with a smile. Happy that everything would go back to normal now.

* * *

Days later, Galen and Cassandra's child was born. It was an adorable little girl, she had Cassandra's hair, but Galen's eyes. Cassandra was holding her child in her arms, while Galen sat next to her and Sophitia standing on the other side of the bed with a proud smile. Both with a proud smile on their face.

"She is beautiful..." Cassandra said, while trying not to cry.

"She is" Galen agreed as he put his arm around Cassandra's shoulders.

"Got a name for her?" Sophitia asked.

Cassandra gasped "Oh no! I am so stupid! With everything that happened I forgot all about coming up with a name!".

Galen chuckled "Calm down Cassandra, I already have a name for her".

Cassandra and Sophitia looked at him, waiting to hear the name.

With a proud smile Galen announced the name of his first child **"Juno".**

 **.**

 **Well, there you have it. This could end up being the last chapter of this story. Thank you for all your support, I had a tone of fun making this story.**

 **.**

 **And be sure to give me detailed reviews of what you thought of this possibly final chapter. I love reading your reactions and thoughts.**


	17. Special Bonus Chapter

**Special Bonus Chapter: One day of a family.**

It was early in the morning, and Galen was standing outside his house, doing some morning work out. Even though it has been weeks since his showdown with Nightmare, Galen still could not allow himself to be anything less than top shape. Nightmare and Inferno were dead, there is still a possibility that they could return one day. Not to mention some of his servants might still be out there, so Galen had to make sure to be ready for them in case they show up. He had an even bigger reason than before to be careful.

"Up early again I see" Speaking of reasons, here was one of them. Galen's beloved Cassandra, who was carrying their first child in her arms.

Galen stopped what he was doing and looked at her "Sorry, had to get some training in".

"You know, it would be nice if you spent less time training and more time with us. Not that I don't enjoy the view of your topless body, but we got someone who also wants a little more attention" Cassandra said, motioning to their baby "Juno will feel left out".

Galen smiled as she walked up and kissed his daughter on the forehead "Sorry Juno. I will be sure to give you some attention soon".

Juno made a noise that almost sounded like 'You better'. Juno was a very adorable little girl, but boy was she attention hungry... and milk hungry as Cassandra had to feed her several time a day.

Cassandra smiled at her child "You are so needy".

"Well, you are her mother" Galen pointed out.

Cassandra glared at him "What is that supposed to mean?".

Galen chuckled "Just what I said. You can also be very needy".

Cassandra pouts, not amused "You know I will booty smash you for this, right?".

"Would be shocked if you didn't. But for now we got more important things to think about" Galen reminded.

Cassandra nods at that "I know. Well let's go and wash up and yes we are all bathing together".

With her word final, Cassandra began to walk towards their bathing spot. Galen looked at his new family for a moment. There was a thought going through his head. And that was his daughter Juno. He wondered that when she grows up, will she have force powers too? Galen himself was very powerful in the force, but Cassandra had no force connection whatsoever. So the chances of Juno becoming a force user was 50/50 at best. If she did become a force user, Galen would have to train her the best he could, if only to make sure she could defend herself in case someone comes for her.

Wit that thought in mind, Galen finally followed Cassandra to their bathing spot. When he got there, Cassandra was already undressing herself and her amazing body all but shined in the sun light. Galen could not help but to let his eyes linger. Cassandra was beautiful and she was all his. Or maybe Galen was all her's, either way he was not complaining. Cassandra had put Juno a safe distance away from the water, which gave Galen an idea.

Cassandra noticed him but did not turn around "Took you long enough, it's rude to keep a lady waiting you know. As a man it's your sworn duty to make sure that I-WHAAA!".

Cassandra was unable to finish as she received a light kick on her butt, which made her fall in to the water. Her head soon poked out of the water and she had a blazing glare at her lover who was just laughing at what he had done.

"That's what you get for demanding so much, Cassandra" Galen said while still chuckling a little.

"YOU ARE DEAD, GALEN!" Cassandra screamed as she rushed out of the water to strangle Galen... only for him to pull her in to a deep kiss, which made her face heat up in surprise but she slowly relaxed in to the kiss.

They slowly pulled apart with Galen smiling at her "Feeling better now?".

"That was so unfair. You won't even let me be mad at you for more than a few seconds" Cassandra said with an adorable pout.

Galen rubbed her cheek "Relax Cassandra, I'm just teasing you. You are just so cute when you're mad. But I prefer it when you smile".

Cassandra sighed but smiled despite of it all "You really are one of a kind, Galen. One of the many reasons I fell in love with you".

Galen smiled back until Juno made it clear that she was feeling ignored "Calm down Juno, we did not forget you. Well, let's finish up here".

With that they picked up Juno and entered the water. Making sure not to go to go in deep to make sure Juno was safe and they began washing her and themselves. But as they where washing themselves, Cassandra decided to ask something she's been wondering for a bit.

"Say, Galen. Why did you name her Juno? It's an beautiful name, but the way you named her made it clear there is a story behind it".

Galen was silent for a moment before he answered "It's the name of someone who helped me out a great deal in the past. In fact if it was not for her, you and I would never have met".

"Really? Then tell me about her" Cassandra said, clearly interested in who could have made such an impact on Galen's life that he would name his child after her.

Juno Eclipse was born on Corulag as the daughter of a teacher and civil engineer. As a child, she developed a fascination with alien cultures and diversity, a trait which her mother encouraged. Early in her life, however, Eclipse was dealt a personal tragedy when her mother died, reportedly caught in the crossfire of an insurrection on Corulag. The loss of her mother left the young Juno in the care of her father, who increasingly became cold and distant after the death of his wife. Nevertheless, Eclipse desperately desired to win the approval of her only remaining parent. As a result, she developed into a loyal supporter of the Galactic Empire, mainly due to the fact that her father was an uncompromising Imperialist who was enamored with those that enlisted into Imperial Military service.

In addition to being indoctrinated into Emperor Palpatine's New Order, Juno Eclipse's father attempted to impart his Anti-Jedi sentiments to his daughter. A fierce supporter of the Emperor, Eclipse's father loathed the fallen Jedi Order and wholeheartedly believed the Emperor's false account of the Jedi's attempt to seize control of the Galactic Republic by assassinating then-Chancellor Palpatine. Despite her's father obvious contempt towards the Order, Eclipse never developed any personal resentment against the Jedi, mainly due to the fact that she possessed very little knowledge of the Jedi or the Force.

In a last attempt to win her father's approval once and for all, Juno Eclipse dedicated her young life to entering Imperial service. It was Eclipse's hope that her father would be elated by her career choice, mainly so that she could finally earn the same admiration that he felt for the Empire's enlisted personnel. Despite her youth, Eclipse was accepted into the Imperial Academy on Corulag at the age of fourteen, thus making her the youngest cadet ever to be welcomed into the Empire's military training.

But Galen couldn't really tell Cassandra all that, since she would likely not even understand half of it, so Galen decided to give her the simple version "She was my partner once. We worked together and accomplished a lot... But back then I was in a rather dark place back then, and I cared for nothing else but completing my mission. But Juno helped me realize that there was more to life than what I was trained to do. She helped me find a better purpouse and allowed me to look at life in a new light. I owe her a lot".

"She sounds like a good woman... so... were you two... you know?" Cassandra began to ask.

Galen new right away where Cassandra was going with this and decided to put an end to it quickly "I would be lying if I said there wasn't something like that between us... but that was a long ime ago now and I will never see her again" He put a hand on Cassandra's cheek "But I am happy with the life I have now. And I am happy with you".

Cassandra smiled at him "Good, or I would make sure to remind you of that. Thanks for telling me, Galen. Let's finish here and go to Sophitia".

Galen nodded and they finished bathing and got dressed before heading over to Sophitia for an little family gathering.

* * *

The family gathering went really well. Sophitia had already met Juno and she loved her niece. Patroklos and Pyrrha quickly took a liking to their baby cousin. Pyrrha would baby talk a lot to make Juno laugh while Patroklos insisted on holding her, which he was denied given he was not very careful. So Sophitia was the one who held Juno the most.

After making sure that Juno was safe and happy with her extended family, Galen and Cassandra used this chance to spend some time alone. Something they did have much of these days. Become parents took up a lot of free time. But for tonight, they would have their moment.

Outside, Galen and Cassandra stood next to a tree... kissing under the shining moonlight... This night... was perfect... Their lives... Are perfect.

 **.**

 **Nothing much, just something I wrote to celebrate Star Wars and all the new things coming out this year. Star Wars has been on a roll and I am hyped to see everything.**

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	18. Another Bonus Chapter!

**Another Bonus Chapter!**

Weeks had passed, and life was still peaceful for the new family of Greek. Galen and Cassandra were enjoying their lives together, and their lives as parents. Juno was a handful, but that didn't make them any less proud to have her as she was their adorable little angel. Sophitia had also been a very good help with her own experience of being a mother of twins, she gave them advice and even agreed to babysit Juno whenever Galen and Cassandra wanted to have some alone time together. Something they rarely got to have these days.

Galen sat in front of his house, his blade in his lap. The divine blade he forged specifically to vanquish Nightmare. He had been put through ordeals that made anything back in his old life look like a vacation in comparison. He remembered when Cassandra told him she was pregnant with his child. That alone was enough to make him determined to survive and return home. And with the help of his new friends, he succeeded.

But what need did he have of his sword now? Nightmare was gone, Tira hasn't shown herself since the last time Galen saw her, and life was now peaceful. What need did Galen have of a blade that was made to fight against darkness now?

He was brought out of his thoughts by an familiar voice "What's on your mind this time?"

Galen turned to look at his wife "Just thinking about the future. We live in a world without Soul Edge, the very thing my blade was forged to destroy. I am happy he is gone, but now I wonder if I should even keep my blade anymore".

Cassandra was silent for a moment before she smiled "You can think about that later. It's dinner time, and it's your turn to feed Juno".

"I know, I know" Galen said as he got up and headed inside. Not knowing the little idea Cassandra had just come up with.

After dinner, Cassandra insisted to leave Juno with Sophitia while she and Galen go for a walk in the forest. Galen was a little suspicious since Cassandra also made it clear that they are bringing their weapons along as well. Galen assumed it was just for self defense in case they are attacked by bandits, but if he knew Cassandra, she has something up her sleeve.

They walked through the forest, only make minor small talk. Galen grew more and more suspicious by the moment. Just what was Cassandra up to? Soon enough they reached an small open area. Big enough to move around in, but also small enough to be hidden from anyone else.

"What is this place?" Galen asked.

"This, my beloved husband, is my special place" Cassandra began as she suddenly started undressing herself "I found it a couple of years ago and it's become my privet spot that I go to when I want to be alone for a while".

Galen blushed at the sight "Umm, Cassandra? What are you doing?".

Cassandra kept undressing until she was down to her underwear, only then did she stop and turned to look at Galen "The reason I brought you here is so we can have a match".

"A match?" Galen asked a little confused.

"We have not practiced our combat skills together for a very long time now. And our new peaceful lives has offered little to no challenge for our combat abilities" Cassandra explained before picking up her sword and shield "I want to make sure we both are still in fighting shape. So we are going to have a match and it will be decided by pure combat abilities, so no force powers to throw me around or to enhance your abilities. You are only allowed to rely on your physical possibilities".

Galen was confused as to why Cassandra wanted this all of a sudden, but decided to play along as he kicked of his boots and removed his shirt. He then pulled out his blade and got ready.

"Alright, Cassandra. No force powers or enhancements. Just pure martial skills" Galen said.

Cassandra smiled as she hit her shield with her blade a few time "Alright, beloved. Let's see if you still has your strength, even without using the force. Or has your powers become your crutch?".

"You are about to find out" Galen declared.

Both looked at each other for several moments, then they both leap forward. Their blades meet in midair, sending them both backward. Landing on their feet, they charge again. Galen lunges forward, wasting no time in unleashing several fast and hard strikes. Cassandra reacts just in time but is forced to go on the defensive, backing up and giving ground to Galen. She does not continue this exchange for long, though, instead choosing to break out her shield and defend from another strong swipe from Galen.

As their blades lock again, they traded a few more blows before a strike from Galen forced Cassandra back, but she quickly dashed back in to the frey. When she's close enough, she tries to slam the shield in to Galen's face, but she misses, allowing Galen to get in close and attempt another strike. Cassandra intercepts the blade with her own, and she remains in a momentary deadlock before gaining leverage over Galen. Realizing this, Galen breaks off the exchange and leaps backward. Cassandra must have been training her muscles in privet as she was never this strong before.

Cassandra follows, swinging downward at Galen, who dodges the strike. At a momentary disadvantage, Cassandra looks up to see Galen kick her weapon out of her hand, which lands twenty yards away. Cassandra does not take her eyes off her husband, though, and stands her ground. Her shield could still be used. Galen advances on Cassandra , who throws her shield at him. Galen easily ducks as he runs toward Cassandra. However, Cassandra's trusty shield was coming back to her like it was a boomerang.

Unaware of this, Galen is hit in the back, slowing down his momentum. As Cassandra's shield returns to her hand, Galen recovers quickly and kicks the shield out of Cassandra's hand. Normally a fight would be over by then. But Cassandra was not ready to acknowledge defeat just yet, as she grabbed Galen's sword arm, held it up before she turned around and hit Galen with her butt, making him back away. Galen had almost forgotten that Cassandra's butt, while a real treat to look at, was also her most dangerous weapon.

A weapon she used to it's full effect as she hit Galen with several blows from her butt, and it looked like this fight was going to be a repeat of their first duel, back before they were married. But Galen was ready this time. When was ready to unleash another booty smash, Galen gave her butt a hard smack. Cassandra yelped in surprise, allowing Galen to tackle her down and put his blade to her throat, though no hard enough to hurt.

Galen smiled "I win this time".

Cassandra pouts "Looks like you have overcome my booty blows".

"They were more effective back in the days before we got together as I didn't want to touch the butt of someone I just met. But we are married now and I've seen everything your butt has to offer, both from a visual side and combat side. It's just another target for me now" Galen said with a smirk as he removed the blade but did not get of her.

Cassandra blushed before shaking her head "Still, do you see now why I wanted this duel?".

Galen thinks for a moment before he nods "Yes, I do. You are right, Nightmare may be gone, but we can never know when new evil might show up one day. And if that day comes, we need to be ready. Which means my blade will always be needed".

Cassandra smiled warmly "I am so glad you understood. And you spoke the truth, we need to keep ourselves fighting fit for whenever we might need it. But we also need to make sure to enjoy the peace while we can".

"That we do. And now that the storm of our battle is over, I will have a peaceful reward" Galen said as he lifted Cassandra's bra of her breast, exposing them to Galen's eyes.

Cassandra blushed but smiled was she wrapped her arms around Galen's neck and they shared a deep kiss. It did not take long before Cassandra's underwear was removed and her legs spread wide in a welcoming manner.

They made love right there in the grass and both knew that when evil comes back, both will be ready to face it... together.

 **.**

 **Another special chapter, made to celebrate Cassandra's recent reveal for Soul Calibur 6.**

 **When I watched the Cassandra trailer... I was smiling like an moron through the whole thing! My favorite character is finally here! And her super attack was a damn Captain America move! And she still got her Booty Crush!**

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


	19. Yet Another Bonus Chapter!

**Yet Another Bonus Chapter!**

Galen was standing in a small open field. In front of him stood his two nephew and niece in law, both carrying practise swords and shields. They had gotten old enough to start some light training. Galen had his work cut out of him to convince Sophitia to allow him to train them. At first, for obvious reasons, Sophitia didn't even want her kids to even touch a weapon. Galen understood that all to well, given he is a parent now himself. But after learning more about his new family history, he didn't want to take any risks.

When a mysterious customer gave Rothion a peculiar metallic fragment, the household went out of control, with the children fighting violently over what their father just received, while Sophitia was experiencing an aftermath from her previous wounds she sustained in her first battle against Soul Edge. Of course, that metal was revealed to be a piece of the vile blade. And since Sophitia also had a piece of it inside her, and had it while being pregnant with her childeren, Galen knew for a face that some of Soul Edge's power could be in the two. Which also meant that they were prime targets for Nightmare's minions, who might want to use them to bring him back. And for that reason, Galen wanted to make sure they could protect themselves and each other, should the need ever arrive, despite badly hoping it never would.

It wasn't easy, but Galen managed to convince Sophita to train them. But she only agreed if she was allowed to be there and watch, to make sure he wasn't being to harsh on them. But Pyrrha and Patroklos were all for the training, mainly Patroklos, due to his desire to surpass Galen.

"Alright you two. I hope you are ready" Galen said as he readies his practise sword.

"Yes, Uncle Galen" Pyrrha said as she got ready.

"You're going down old man!" Patroklos said with far to much confidence.

"Old man? I am not even middle aged yet" Galen said.

"What ever! Take this!" Patroklos yelled as he charged in blindly. Only for Galen to simply side step, making the cocky boy crash in to the ground.

"To clumsy, Patroklos. Alright Pyrrha, your turn" Galen said and noticed Pyrrha was more on guard "Focusing on defense? Alright then, I'll make the first move".

Pyrrha barely has time to block as Galen lands the first blow with his practice sword, forcing Pyrrha to block with her shield, before taking a defensive stance and ducking under the second swing, and then sidestepping to Galen's right, away from the third.

Galen then turns around 180 degrees in order to finish his strike, forcing Pyrrha to awkwardly walk back with her sword and shield outstretched to avoid it. She then ducks underneath Galen's uppcoming strike, as the latter then slightly bends his leg and used it to spring himself up to perform an airborne overheard strike with his blade, forcing Pyrrha to block, but the force sends her back. As the two ready their stances, Galen wastes no time as he immediately strikes again, forcing Pyrrha to block it with her shield, and then with her sword. Another sidestep is taken to avoid Galen's third right jab. But Pyrrha ends up tripping and falls

Galen then noticed Patroklos rushing him to retaliate, stretching his his practise blade out in order to deliver a strike from behind - which then misses as Galen casually moves his head to dodge it. A leg sweep with his left leg trips Patroklos as he falls to the ground, and the moment he sits up, Galen's blade is in front of his face.

"Still to straight forward, Patroklos. You need to balance your offence and defense. If you focus to much on offence, you leave yourself wide open for a potential deadly counter" Galen said before looking at Pyrrha "And you Pyrrha. You focus to much on defense. You can only fend of attacks for so long until one either finds it's way through your guard or smashes clean through it. Balancing them out however can allow you to defend long enough until your opponent provides an opening. And the moment they do, you strike back before they have a chance to pull back".

"Hey Uncle Galen. Why did you decide to train us? I mean, you defeated that monster right? We are in a time of peace, so why do we need to learn how to fight?" Pyrrha asked.

"Speak for yourself, I've been waiting forever to grow stronger than him" Patroklos said.

"That's enough, Patroklos. To answer your question Pyrrha. Yes we are in a time of peace, for now. But there is no promise that said peace will last forever. When things are at their most peaceful, that is often the perfect time for a new threat to strike. We need to be ready if and when that time comes. Though I pray it never does" Galen explained.

"Well I sure hope it does. I am dying to strike down evil people" Patroklos said, a little to eager.

"Get that thought out of your head right now young man!" Galen snapped, making the siblings jump in surprise "Violence and death is not something anyone should ever look forward to. There is nothing good about it".

"But, you've killed plenty of bad people" Patroklos argued.

Galen sighed "Yes, I have. But I only kill when I have no other choice. I try to avoid killing if I can. But if I am pushed in to a situation were I either need to kill my enemy or they kill me... or worse, try to kill someone I love, then yes I will end their life. But death should always be the last option, never the first".

"I understand, Uncle Galen. I will never kill if I can avoid it" Pyrrha promised.

Galen nods in approval "Good. I hope you can promise me this too, Patroklos".

"I promise nothing" The boy said, looking away.

"Yes you will young man" Sophitia said as she walked up with Cassandra who was holding little Juno in her arms "Death is never the first option. Remember that".

"Yes mom..." Patroklos relented.

Galen smiled at that, even the arrogant boy couldn't speak against his mother. But then Galen sensed something nearby, something evil, which made him narrow his eyes in that direction for only a moment "Well, I think we should call it a day. You all head home, I will return later".

"I something wrong, dear?" Cassandra asked in some concern.

"I am just going to scout the area real quick. I'll be fine, I promise" Galen assured.

"Fine, just be back before it gets dark" Cassandra said.

Galen smiled before he kissed her on the lips and then kissed his daughter on the forehead. After that he went to scout for the evil presence. It didn't take long to track the person down. It was a man who dressed like a bandit. He was running down a road near a ravine. Galen landed in front of him, causing the man to stop dead in his tracks.

"You seem to be in a hurry. Are planing to tell your friends so you can raid the village?" Galen asked, but then he narrowed his eyes "Or were you watching my family specifically?".

The man smirked "Well, looks like you caught me. I was going to tell the followers of Nightmare that I found the sacrifices we need to bring back the knight of salvation!".

"You seek to restore Nightmare? Are you insane? He brings nothing but death and chaos" Galen said.

"That is the point! He will purge this world of all filth and then a new one will be born! A new perfect world" The man said in strong yet insane belief.

"A world of darkness. I killed him to prevent that" Galen said.

"Did you now?" The man laughed "Nightmare don't die so easy! He will be back! He will have your soul and the souls of everyone you love. Once we sacrifice their blood to please him!" The man said, his insanity growing more clear by the second.

Galen glared before pulling out his blade. It was clear that he could not allow this man to leave this place alive. The man smirked and pulled out his own blade before charging Galen. But Galen deflected his first strike before swiftly cutting open his throat. Before the man could even begin to fall to the ground, Galen force pushed him of the ledge and down in the ravine. No one would be able to find his body down there.

Galen sighed before putting his blade away and headed home.

* * *

Once he got home, Cassandra greeted him "Welcome back. What did you find?".

"An insane follow of Nightmare. He wanted to sacrifice all of us to resurrect Nightmare. I had no other choice but to end him" Galen said.

"I see... so it seems you were right. Even during peace time, Nightmare still tries to mess with us" Cassandra said.

"Yes. I destroyed him, but I feel his death is not going to last forever. One day he might return, and I will have to stop him again... if I can" Galen said.

Cassandra kissed and hugged him "You will. You beat him before, and you can do it again. But he is not here now. I am, so spend some time with me now".

Galen smiled and hugged her back "With you and Juno in my life, Cassandra. There is nothing I can't do".

They kissed again before enjoying their time together.

 **.**

 **Small bonus chapter brought up thanks to the new character reveal for Soul Calibur 6.**

 **.**

 **Tell me what you think.**


End file.
